Falling Slowly
by WanderingRain
Summary: Even Kyouya cannot predict and calculate everything, but Akane Suou is more than an exception. She hides the dark secrets of the Suou's by choice, and Kyouya investigates without regret, even when unwanted, new emotions arise. KyoXOC TamaXHaru
1. Prologue

This is a rewrite of a story I started called 'Not Alone Dear Loneliness'. Hope it's better this time!

Disclaimer: I don not own Ouran or any of its characters.

Prologue

How could no one hear it?

Hear the blaring sirens that rang out into the night? The deafening roar of pelting rain onto slippery cobblestone? The screech of dying flames from a single, burned to the ground building that held so many memories unwilling to die with the structure? Could they not hear the wild, uncontrollable sound of a beating heart that threatened to explode from the weak chest that barely held it in?

The ground seemed to tremble in fear as thunder and lightning stained the sky. Innumerable cars raced through the streets, blinded by the veil of rain. More sirens joined in the cacophony that burned into a figure's ears, her heart instantly skipping beats at the frightening sound. As thunder struck once again, she lost her footing and collapsed to the wet streets, hard stones blasting into the hunted person's body which was already in agonizing amounts of pain. Tears began to form in tired eyes, but were completely unrecognizable from the rain that pelted the face.

Every shred of hope seemed to vanish as the streak of violent white light faded into the clouded and murky sky. She desperately wanted to let go, to let herself be swept away in the storm and never found, never to suffer the fate she had chosen. Eyes began to slowly close, the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness beckoning for her to enter its consuming gates.

Screeches suddenly erupted inside her ears, waking her to see the outlines of racing cars gaining to her collapsed form. Gathering what will she had left, her legs carried her into a nearby alley, hoping to disappear from the pursuers' view. All was in vain though, the cars screaming to a halt in front of the passageway. Officers piled onto the streets, yelling at her to stop where she was.

Almost no desire to run was left in the racing heart as the girl ran to the back of the alley. Another clash of lightning illuminated the scene, revealing a lone fire escape ladder that was soaked in the unwavering rain. Without second thought, the hands leapt to the cold metal, feet following. As the ascension began, the cries of the officers below became unaudible, the rain masking any sound besides the never ending sirens.

It was all she could do to stay on the ladder, loosing her grip with almost every step. Soon the top of the building emerged and with it, renewed yearning to escape. One hand stretched to the dark roof that lay mere fingertips away, all the distractions and anxieties around her fading into darkness. Her fingers felt the rough brick and eagerly grasped the wet surface. Feet trailed, longing to reach the safety of the solid surface. Her heart beat faster and faster as the roof came clearly into view, ready to rest on the haven that lay before it.

Then, an explosive and titanic blast of thunder erupted into the air, shattering the world around her. Her heart screamed in agony, pain bursting into her chest. Whether her hands slipped or let go was hard to tell, but none the less her feet followed her body into the bone-chilling air.

Like thousand of cold needles, the rain burrowed into her skin and forced her to the deadly ground below. Hair whipped her scared face, her vision couldn't distinguish whether she was looking to the sky or the ground.

Her eyes shut quietly as warm, comforting faces materialized in her mind. She couldn't help but allow a guilty smile glide onto her face, finally letting her consciousness fade away. The pain began to disappear into the cold, just like the unforgiving world around her. She felt like she was floating more than falling, the descent to her demise for tranquil than she had imagined.

Just as peace finally settled into her slowing mind, scorching flames burst into her mind, burning every inch of her skin. For the first time during the entire fall, she cried into the night, only to meet impact as she could cry no longer.


	2. Cherry Blossoms and Roses

**Chapter 1**

**Cherry Blossoms and Roses**

Slowly, gently, the double doors to the Third Music Room opened, revealing the handsome youths that happily awaited any lady that happened to enter. The Ouran High School Host Club, the rave of almost every student at the private academy. The members sat in normal formation, today's international theme had each clothed in traditional Spanish Matador (bull fighter's) costume.

Excited squeals and squeaks broke from the girls, loving the club's newest theme. Kyouya smirked just slightly, estimating today's profits eagerly in his notebook. It was one of those actually genius ideas had, and it seemed profits would rise substantially.

The girls began to file in and head to their hosts, eager to start today's flirting.

"Tamaki-sama, have you really ever fought a bull?" One enchanted girl asked, hands clasped together in joy.

"I have not, but I'll duel with one thousand bulls for your love, princess," The King replied softly, placing his gentle hands on her chin. The girl's cheeks flamed up in bright red, nearly melting into a pool of girly fantasies.

Across the room, Haruhi sat with her customers, making light conversation with her natural charm. While the girls conversed among themselves momentarily, she glanced over to Tamaki, flirting with another of his customers. Lately, a sick feeling had appeared in the pit of her stomach when she spoke with him, and things only got more confusing as Mei-chan had left a magazine over at her house.

_That stupid love test, I know it was wrong, but still..._

Club soon ended and Haruhi left to change out of her matador costume. Tamaki moved towards the large windows on the far side of the room. The sky shined an unparalleled shade of deep blue, like someone had dyed it such a color. The soft pink cherry blossom trees contrasted the deep sky, and gentle breezes threw the lose petals into a joyous dance.

_I wonder if Haruhi has ever seen cherry blossoms like this, it's beautiful. Maybe I'll plant one by her apartment as a surprise..._ His thoughts drifted off, and soon Kyouya had to remind him it was time to go home. The King bid farewell to all his friends, then each proceeded home in their own limos (except for Haruhi, who had decided to walk to the supermarket on the way home). As she walked alone on the flawless white sidewalk, the wind gently caressed her short brown hair. Light pink petals blew towards her, swirling in the air in their seasonal dance. One softly drifted into her open palm, and softly lay there. The girl smiled, always having liked cherry blossoms.

_I wish there was one near our apartment_, she thought, continuing to the supermarket

--

Rolling down his tinted window, Tamaki gazed surprised at the other two limos that sat outside the front door. Stepping into the Suou mansion, his normal doorman did not greet him, but rather a tall, intimidating man a black suit.

"The chairman and your grandmother are waiting in the other room, please follow me," he said, emotions masked by his pair of sunglasses. Tamaki followed, handing his bag to one of his own maids who appeared to the man's side.

The young Suou stepped slowly into the room, his father and grandmother sitting patiently at a long glass table. Yuzuru Suou motioned for the boy to sit down, and took a deep breath, propping his elbows onto the table. Tamaki bowed in respect then sat, his grandmother silently "tsk" at him.

"I'm sure you're surprised to see us here, Tamaki, but we have some important issues to discuss with you," His father began, glancing over to his son. The youth nodded in reply, intensely staring back.

"As you know, and as we have hid up until now from your grandmother, you have a sister just a year younger than yourself,"

Tamaki gave a slight gasp, shocked his father had just spoken those words with his mother sitting next to him. The older woman remained unfazed, her face frozen in the same unemotional expression.

"We thought this would be for the benefit of the Suou Company, since we wanted no more attention with the media with such a situation. But things have changed, and through what I will explain later... Akane has been forced to come here, to Japan,"

Under the table, Tamaki was forced to pinch himself, just to realize this wasn't some horrible nightmare. His eyes rang out in disbelief, and it was all he could do not to let his jaw drop to the floor.

"Otoe-san, where is she? Is she here?" He asked politely, trying to keep some composure in his tone.

"We'll discuss this later, but yes, she is here, but in another room resting. It would be best if you'd not disturb her." Tamaki nodded, backing off now to let his father explain.

"We will discuss why she is here later, but for now I have invited your grandmother so we may discuss the terms of her staying,"

Tamaki understood his grandmother despised him. He was a symbol of her son's sins, and imperfections. It must have made her go into an angered rage knowing there was another like him, another dirty child. The old chairwoman sat up a bit taller, if it was even possible with her already perfect posture.

"The law has made it clear that the Suou's must care for her now, and doing otherwise would end in many law suits. Therefore, I have agreed that she will stay in the second mansion, but only under my circumstances.

Just like her brother, she will be unable to see her mother as long as she remains within our care. In addition, she will meet with me weekly, where I shall instruct her on her behavior and actions while she is here. Also, you, Tamaki, shall watch over her, make sure she stays in line and does not by any means disgrace this family. This is a test for you, to see if you have any chance of taking over this corporation."

Her voice echoed through Tamaki's mind, and he could barely hold in his emotions. He was outraged, why did Akane have to go through what he did? And even more, she would be forced to meet with her grandmother, who knows what they would make her do? A test, his sister was not a test. He desperately wanted to stand up and yell out his thoughts to the old woman, but in the back of his mind, he remembered his father's words.

_One night they had gone to one of his new restaurants for a good meal. They had watched as a new waiter clumsily spilled sauce all over some woman's new gown, and her yell in outrage at him. The waiter apologetically began to pick up the broken pieces of the dish, but she screamed at him more for not finding a way to save her dress. The manager had come, and the woman ordered him to be fired for his stupidity._

_Tamaki had begun to rise from his chair when his father discouraged. Tamaki replied in outrage how just because of a mistake he shouldn't lose his job. His father ordered him to sit down, saying words that changed Tamaki._

_"Business is completely different from club activities. You can't apply idealistic thoughts or your sense of justice. It is especially a bad thing when children like you speak irresponsibly. If you understand what I'm saying, sit down, Tamaki."_

"I understand, Grandmother. I'll do my best," Tamaki answered seriously, his eyes intent on making her proud. She smiled, but not to him, to herself for being able to pull things off her way. The elderly chairwoman stood up and was followed out of the room by the man in the black suit, not giving so much as a "goodbye" to either of her relatives.

Yuzuru Suou leaned back in his chair, glad the hard part was over; glad that his son had restrained himself from what could have been a disastrous situation.

"Father, could I see her now, I know she'll want me to," Tamaki asked, after several moments of silence.

"Very well, but I must express some caution. She has her mother's weak body, and...well, I'll explain the rest later. This way," Mr. Suou answered, rising and leading Tamaki up the grand staircase to Akane's room. The room was mostly dark, tow lamps lit by her bedside. Next to the lamps sat a medium sized porcelain vase, intricate blue windings surrounding the surface and a bouquet of blood red roses. In a large four poster bed, propped up on what looked like fifty goose feather pillows, was a frail, white-faced girl, eyes shut in sleep. Her golden hair lay tossed across the pillows and blankets seemed to restrict any movement she could've had.

Tamaki slowly approached, still in utter disbelief that the person before him was truly there. He kneeled at her bedside, stroking her hair, the same shade as his. The girl stirred, turning over to the one who had disturbed her. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing the blue-green irises that separated her from her mother's deep purple eyes. It was about the only way Tamaki could tell her apart from their mother. As she rolled, white bandages were exposed on her shoulders and a large patch covering her left cheek.

"Tamaki..." She whispered, still unsure wither she was dreaming or not. He shook his head quickly, assuring her he was beside her. Without even willing it, tears fell down his face, dropping to the rich carpet below.

"I missed you," she managed to say, her voice weak and brittle, like it would crack if too much pressure was put on.

"Shh, you don't need to speak," Tamaki whispered back tenderly, continually caressing her sun colored locks. Akane managed to remove a feeble hand, her arm covered in more white cloth, from the covers that swallowed her and reached towards her brother's tear streaked face. She brushed a few warm drops away, wanting him not to cry for her. He removed his hands from her hair and clasped her hand in his, feeling how cold it was.

"I'm sorry, Oniichan," she said, gripping his hand back as hard as she could, burning tears identical to his now staggering down her face. He cracked, and no effort could stop the joy and saddened filled streams that washed over his face. His head bent to the floor, not wanting her to see him so weak.

Her hand reached again, this time just in front of his face. She smiled, but not one of the radiant ones he had seen his mother give to him, this one was overflowing in remorse, apologies, sadness, and painful feelings. Tamaki managed to get to his feet, no letting go of her hand once. Leaning over her, he gently kissed her forehead, her eyes drifting off as he gently placed her hand by her side.

"Tell me what happened," Tamaki said, as he and his father shut the door to the dark room behind them.

"This might take a while, so let's head to the dining room, shall we?" He beckoned, waving over to a servant to prepare dinner. The young man's mind raced with thoughts, flashes of his sister with her bandages, smiling sadly at him, struck his mind like lightning. He didn't think he'd sleep at all tonight. Not one thought of cherry blossoms was evident in his mind.


	3. Concern and Cruelty

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but we all have dreams.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Corcern and Cruelty**

"Shima, how is Akane?"

"Tamaki-sama, this is the fifteenth time you've called today, and my answer is still the same. She is fine. Go back to class." The Second Suou Mansion Usher replied, her tone rather blunt and merciless.

"Is her breathing okay? What about her pulse? Has she been able to speak? Has she become mute?!" The concerned brother asked franticly, his mind forming new worries every less than .5 seconds. Club activities started in two minutes, but he still needed to check, just to be safe. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her and he wasn't there for her.

"Everything is fine. Go back to class,"

"Shima, please, can I at least talk to her?"

"Unless you want to wake her up, then yes," The elderly usher replied, serious her tone hinting on annoyance.

"Fine, should I come home early to check on her? Fluff her pillows? Make sure she doesn't choke on her food?"

"Goodbye, Tamaki-sama. Have fun at school."

"Shima!"

The line went dead, and Tamaki reluctantly snapped his phone shut, debating if he should try once more. No, she'll probably just hang up again. Maybe e could call pretending as a doctor, and then she'd have to talk. No, he wasn't in the mood. Shima was smart, she'd figure out it was him.

_Stop it! Get a hold of yourself! _Tamaki mentally slapped himself, trying to avert his mind to other things. All it seemed he could do was worry. It was ridiculous! During classes, he worried. During meals, he worried. At night, he worried. Even most of the time at the host club, he worried about Akane.

_What if the doctors who were taking care of her messed up? What if she was eating and no one was around and she choked on her food?_

He began walking to the club room, trying to push all the concerns out of his swamped mind. Taking a deep breath, he tried to compose himself enough so the others wouldn't notice his unease.

* * *

--

Somehow, I thought it would be lighter in heaven. That is, if I made it there...

Slowly crawling open, her eyes were submerged into almost absolute darkness. Her head throbbed as she stirred in her bed. Soft, silky sheets restricted her body from sitting up high, but she could still manage to weave her way to a raised position on her elbows. For some reason, she could barely accomplish this task, her body was so tired, like all the muscle she had completely disappeared out of her.

There was barely any light in the room, the only sources a few dim lamps spread around the room. After waiting for several moments, Akane confirmed that no one else was in the room.

She began to turn on her side to try and heave herself from the heavenly mattress. Her shoulder pressed lightly to the bed and she coiled back in pain, letting out a small wince that echoed through the room. Her shoulder was on fire, throbbing like her already hurting head. It felt as though someone was forcing small, sharp needles into her shoulder, all of them burning like hell.

Delicately pushing herself back to her former position, she looked down to her agonizing shoulder. It was wrapped in layers of white bandage, looking like they had just been put on. She discovered the same thing on her other shoulder, frightened she was in such a state. Trying to push up some of the covers, she gazed at the rest of her injured body.

Akane was wearing a loose sleeveless dress, but she could feel more bandages on her body. Her hand crawled to her torso, feeling several tight wraps around her ribcage. Then to her legs, were only her left knee wrapped up so that it was incapable of movement.

What had happened? Why was she so weak and bruised?

Then the memories flooded back; a blazing fire, a stormy night, roaring sirens, and even more chilling memories made her wince, since her head throbbed even more.

_Why...why was I so stupid? No, I'm not stupid, I knew what I was doing...I knew what would happen. I deserve this...this pain is my burden. Once it heals...there will be more punishment. I'm not afraid though...I'm not..._

Then Tamaki's calming face looked back at her, making her smile sightly. she wished she could drench him in her apologies, there was no way he'd ever forgive her. He most likely knew, and she let herself sob at the thought. He was so wonderful, he comforted her, held her hand, and even stroked her hair, like mom used to do. someone like her didn't deserve a brother so forgiving. She wished she was locked in a dark dungeon, instead of in this beautiful room, with her kind brother, who made her want to cry even more than she wanted to.

Easing into her resting position, she thought it'd be nice to close her eyes for a moment. Just a second, then she'd get out of bed...and ask someone in this house...if they...if they could...

Soon she had drifted off again, the throbbing in her cranium making her woozy and exhausted. Thinking was tiring, and so was trying to stay awake.

* * *

--

The grand clock in the Second Suou mansion struck two, letting out a bellowing

DONG...DONG...

A knock then echoed through the hall, and a pair of suited man rushed up to the main entrance. In perfect unison, they opened the doors, an elderly grandmother and her two black suited men following in behind her. Shima stepped into the hall, bowing in front of the head of the family.

"Mrs. Suou, how may I help you?" She asked politely, but still without a smile. You had to work for one of those.

"Where are the doctors working on the child, I wish to speak with them," The woman answered, no thank you or any sort of formal etiquette.

"Right this way, madam," Shima answered, leading the company head up the grand steps and to the left. Pressing a stern finger to her mouth, the usher lead the group into the dim room. In the monstrous bed lay Akane, her hair sprawled onto the pillows and her countenance lifeless, but still with a look of suffering on it. Next to her was a tall man, his thinning black hair combed sideways as to cover up the shining patches. He gently was holding her arm, wrapping her shoulder in the light bandages.

"Doctor Rokaro," Shima spoke softly, seeing the girl still sleeping, "a word?"

He nodded, obviously annoyed that his work was interrupted, but finishing his mending and walked reluctantly out the door with the group.

"Mrs. Suou, what is it you desire of me?" The aging man asked, a false politeness in his voice. He was a genius for his field, and hated being disturbed when he was in the middle of working. It was a state he had to work himself into, and this was completely breaking out of the state.

"How is she healing?" The girl's grandmother questioned, no trace of concern on her face or in her words.

"Her body is not the strongest, but another two weeks in bed; she should make a full recovery. Except for her broken ribs, those will take a little more time. But her other injuries were not as serious,"

"When will she be well enough for school?"

"Probably after two weeks, but we should allow a few days after that to be safe. Then she should be fine as long as she doesn't get into any more trouble. I can't believe this girl feel from a fire escape ladder and into—"

"That will be enough, Doctor. Thank you for your time," She dismissed him, the doctor grudgingly returning through the doors. He left the doors slightly ajar and the elderly woman glanced in at the sleeping girl.

She looked just like her mother. That wretched woman, who ruined the company's perfect relationship, was practically reborn in that girl. She did not completely blame her son for what happened, who could blame the man? That horrible French woman seduced him, and what was he to do but divorce his wife?

The first child looked plenty like the mother and every time she looked at him, she saw the company most likely doomed future. But this girl, **this girl.** She was practically her mother's clone. The same women who made her son worry and fret and get distracted, was lying here, in her mansion. With the same blonde hair, the same beautiful face, and the same weak body, was being provided by the same people who wanted her out of their lives.

"Mrs. Suou, are you ready to leave?" One of guards asked, catching the woman off guard slightly. She didn't show any signs of it though and nodded her assistant to prepare the limo.

Yet, she had figured out a solution. One that would benefit the company more than that filthy boy ever could. It would take time, but with proper guidance, Akane would give the company new success. That is, as long as she was willing. Hopefully she was as much of an idiot as her brother was.

* * *

--

Uh oh, the grandmother is EBIL! How many times does that happen?

A big hug and hardy slap on the back to those of you who reviewed and favorite-ed and all those wonderful things. All input is appreciated!


	4. Punishment

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran or any of its characters. You know the drill.

**Chapter 3**

**Punishment**

Weeks had gone by now, and with each passing day, Tamaki's unease and distracted thoughts were fading as Akane's health steadily progressed. Most of the bandages were removed by now, but the pain was still evident every so often. Being the concerned older brother, every day after school he went home and sat next to his sister's bed.

She hardly spoke to him, but every so often he would get a smile. Even if the smile was not the blissful one he remembered, but instead that painful, desperate smile, he still smiled back. Since she wouldn't talk much, Tamaki spoke enough for the both of them, telling her all about Ouran, classes, his friends, and the host club. He would sometimes get lost in stories about their bizarre endeavors. Akane would nod and stare at him, occasionally letting a smile of laughter slip onto her face, only encouraging her brother more.

His days after school were devoted to her, and when he finally left, Akane would cry. Cry that he was so kind, so happy. Cry because he was still the same lovable, slightly childish, and wonderfully lively boy she known so fondly. Why was he making it so hard for her? Every time she saw him smile, she wanted so badly to hide away and cry. Why couldn't he just hate her instead?

"Akane-chan, the doctor said you can go to school in three days! And you can get out bed tomorrow! Aren't you excited? You'll have so much fun, and you can meet everyone at the host club. They'll love you, I just know it!" Tamaki blabbered, excited as a child on Christmas morning.

Akane nodded and smiled slightly back, as her brother began to ramble on all the things they'd do, how much she'd enjoy going to Ouran. But inside, the girl knew it was never going to happen. She knew what was going to happen, and her soon-to-come meetings with her grandmother just confirmed her theories. She was ready though, this was her punishment, she knew the moment she had done what she had done that this was her destiny. No amount of naïve wishing and hoping would stop it.

Akane sighed, and turned her eyes from Tamaki to the now open windows. Once she was able to sit up, she had asked the servants to keep them open, so she could feel the warm sunlight on her skin, to give her some false comfort while she could afford it.

Unbeknownst to any of the servants or doctors, she had already gotten out of bed. While Dr. Rokaro was on break, and no maids were around, she had removed her tight covers, and tried to use her legs. The first attempt had left her knee hurting in strain, but she had begun to regain her balance and strength, slowly but surely. She would sit next to the window, a small niche by the glass big enough for her to sit on, her knees to her chest, and her eyes to the brilliant sky. Of course, she'd have to pretend she couldn't walk when they let her out of bed in three days.

--

_She'll be here soon. I wonder if she'll like the club...maybe we should throw her a welcoming party..._

"Tamaki, is everything alright?" One of his customers brought his train of thought, waking him up to reality. Her huge blue eyes were full of concern, more that he wasn't flirting with her than worried if he was okay.

"Princess, I sincerely apologize. But you should know, as long as I am with you, I'll always be fine," He recovered, staring deeply into her eyes. She could only let her cheeks flush a bright pink in reply, nearly melting as he held her hand.

As the customer squealed in delight, Tamaki looked across the room to Haruhi, who was entertaining guests of her own. She smiled gratefully at them, thanking them for their designation today.

_She looks so cute when she smiles like that...I'm such a lucky father..._

He felt bad he hadn't been paying much attention to her, and thought he might talk to her and the others after club today. He wasn't going to explain everything, no; he wanted everyone to be surprised, well, almost everyone...

--

_A week earlier..._

_As the host said goodbye to all his friends, Tamaki rubbed his posterior sorely. That day had been a Hawaiian theme, and he was irked at the twins. While he had trying to show off his newly learned hula dance, the twins had "accidentally" dropped a banana peel in front of him, causing him to slip into Hunny's Hawaiian pineapple cake. _

"_I'll get those two, just you Kaoru and Hikaru," he mumbled, making his way down the steps to his limo. As he took the next step, a firm hand caught his shoulder, sending him to a halt. _

"_How long do you intend to keep it secret?" A cold, serious voice asked behind him. The blonde host didn't need to turn around to know who stood behind him, but he did anyway. He put on his best innocent face and decided to try and play it dumb._

"_Kyouya, what are talking about? I kept a secret from you? Why would you even—"_

"_Stop playing dumb Tamaki,"_

Damn!

"_How much do you know? How did you find out?" Tamaki questioned, changing to a very business like voice. He stared harshly at his best friend, trying not to show weakness to the shadow king. Kyouya remained unfazed_

"_Enough, it's very intriguing to investigate why so many doctors, including one of the best in Japan, gather in one place, for one patient," Kyouya answered, flashing his glasses cleverly. No one was good at keeping secrets from him, no matter how they tried to cover things up. Although he didn't' know everything about the situation, he was sure he'd know soon enough._

"_Kyouya, she's in a delicate state right now. It's not good to spread this around. Akane's just..."_

"_Ah, so it is a she. Akane, was it?" The shadow king replied, pulling out his notebook and jotting down some new info._

"_What?! You didn't know?!"_

"_I don't know everything, Tamaki. But I'd like to suggest that you not keep secrets from me," He snapped his files shut, returning them to his brief case. Oh yes, he had some information now. Kyouya turned around, waving a hand without looking back to Tamaki. This time it was Tamaki who caught his shoulder, stopping the Ootori short._

"_Kyouya...do you know...why Akane is here?" He asked earnestly, deep violet eyes burning holes in the prodigy's back._

"_Not yet," He answered, not turning around to give his answer. _

"_If you do find out, please, keep it secret. She just..."_

"_Fine, fine," Kyoya replied, shaking off the boy's firm hand. He walked off, deep in thought at the moment. He needed to find out soon, it was going to be very interesting, that he knew..._

--

The First Suou mansion was beyond belief. It made the second one look like a poor house, and a poor house look like a dumpster with a door. Every room had gorgeous stone tiling, the light shining off of them made the Antique chandeliers on the ceiling almost unnecessary. Statues, tapestries, and paintings filled the walls, making Akane feel more like she was in an art museum than someone's home.

The hallways seemed endless, so vast that the girl had to keep only one footstep behind the butler that led the way. Yesterday she had been removed form her bed, and could comfortably walk, much to the doctor's surprise. He had said it would take more than a day, but Akane had decided to shock them instead. Besides, she didn't like acting and faking. She sighed, now realizing she'd probably be doing much acting soon enough.

"Madam Suou, Mistress Akane is here, as you requested," The butler said, knocking on a large pair of beautiful double doors, incrusted in what looked like gold.

"Enter," The woman replied, and the butler opened the door wide for Akane. This room was more cavernous than the halls, and even more art hung form the walls. In the middle of the room sat a small glass table, two chairs made of the same transparent material on either side.

"Please take a seat, Akane," Her grandmother offered, more of an order than an invitation. The woman sat in the opposite glass chair, her two black-suited guards a few feet behind her. The girl gently sat, at first afraid of breaking the chair, but kept her grace in front of the head of the family.

"Good morning, Madame Suou," She greeted. In her mind, she knew the woman would not be pleased at being called grandmother. Tamaki had told her about their grandmother, as well as her father, who had given her a ride to the mansion. The advice was different, but Akane decided to go by instinct.

"You may call me Obaasan if you wish, or you may refer to me as Sensei, since I will be teaching you a great deal," She corrected, her tone never changing and her face like a statue's. The elderly woman waved her hand and one of the suited men carried a tray of tea over to the pair. He began pouring the tea as hey continued.

"Yes, Sensei,"

"Now, I'll cut to the point, since I can't stand fickle talk. I hope you realize that yes, the Suou family must take care of you since, well, I don't need to explain that, do I? But, were you stay and how you are treated is up to me, and unlike your brother, you are not to be any sort of successor to the Suou Company. So, you will contribute to the family in a different way," Her grandmother continued icily, pausing momentarily to sip her tea.

"Understood," Akane replied, scared at the fact the woman had not added an ounce of cream or sugar to the bitter drink.

"Marriages are only one of the ways companies can become friendlier with each other. That is why, at Ouran Academy, you will become friends with everyone, every son or daughter of any large company head. Talk to them, laugh at their jokes, do whatever you need to to get them to like you. Especially the sons who will be inheriting companies; become very good friends with them. Every half a week or so you will meet with me here and tell me how things are going," Her grandmother paused, taking another sip of the hot tea, "If you fail at this task, you will have no use to the family, and I will distribute punishment as necessary. Am I quite clear, Akane?"

Akane took a deep breath, exactly as she had thought. There was no room for error, and no room for personal feelings as well. This is what she had chosen, and this is what she had to do.

"Very clear, Obaasan," She answered, a cheery smile on her face, although it wanted to be far away form this woman. "I'll do my best!"

"Good answer. We have a bit more to discuss as well. If we want this to succeed, you need to..."

After another hour or so, Akane left the mansion, soon to return in four days. She had her job, her punishment at last. Her sin deserved such a task, even if it meant losing her freedom.

--

Hey guys, thank you so, so much for all the favs, alerts, reviews, and all that jazz. Cookies for all of you (err...something like that...)

Oh and does anyone know Tamaki's grandmother's name? Thanks again!


	5. The Masquerade

**Chapter 5**

**Masquerade**

It wasn't supposed to be this hard to walk outside and into the limo, but Akane could barely move her legs that morning. She stared at herself in the mirror, seeing something she most definitely did not recognize. Her hair was the same golden luster she had been born with, but it was straightened as flat as a dictionary page and her natural curly wave had vanished all together. Her eyes remained the same blue-green hue, but were shrouded in a mirage of professional makeup products. Her skin was covered in an expensive foundation, and every other part had been drowned in exotic lotion. She smelt of an expensive perfume, probably a special order from an exclusive company in France. She thought it smelled worse than dirt. But Sensei had specifically told her to let the makeup artists do their job and not fight or there would be consequences. And Akane knew exactly what the consequences would be.

A quiet knock rapped on the door, disturbing her thoughts.

"Come in," she replied, politely and lady-like. Another request Sensei wanted. The door creaked open, revealing a warmly smiling Tamaki.

"Ohayo, Akane-chan!" He greeted, being extremely charming without even trying to be. He strolled in, examining his sister's different appearance. "My, my, don't you look…." For some reason, unknown to even himself, he couldn't find the word to describe. She was too different, and Akane smiled sympathetically at his face, having the exact same feeling herself.

"I know," she sighed, releasing too much breath at once. Her mostly healed ribs suddenly struck her inside and she winced in pain, clutching her side tightly.

"Akane!" He said worriedly, quickly kneeling and reaching out to her.

"I'm fine," she snapped, her harsh tone unknown to her brother. Realizing what she had just said, she quickly sat up felt the guilt wash over her. "I'm so sorry. I'm just really moody this morning. Thank you, Oniisan." She turned around in her chair, snatching up a brush and covering her face with her hair while a few tears slid down her cheeks.

"Akane-chan…" Tamaki started. He knew how to read his sister, and this was completely out of character. Before he could investigate her, Shima crept into the room and grabbed Tamaki's shoulder.

"Tamaki-sama, I told you five minutes ago the limo was ready. Now get out here before I have to do something embarrassing to you in front of your sister," Shima scolded, causing Akane to let out a tiny giggle.

"That won't be necessary, Shima. We were just leaving. Catch ya later!" Tamaki replied, grabbing Akane and swooshing like magic out the door.

"Someone knock some sense into that child…" Shima smiled, toying with a fresh ruby rose on Akane's desk.

* * *

"Are you ready?"

"Not really, I think I'm just going to hide over here," Akane replied, scrunching herself into a dark corner of the limo. Tamaki smiled, seeing his sister act more like the young girl he spent his childhood days with. The car came to a halt and the chauffer swiftly opened the door, sun light spilling into the dark limo. Tamaki gallantly stepped out of the door, his designer sunglasses slipping glamorously onto the bridge of his nose.

Immediately students stared at him, a few girls squealing at his golden hair gleaming in the sun's rays. Dashingly, he turned around and stuck his hand into the limo, causing a few students to stop and gaze in curiosity.

"C'mon out, Akane-chan," He beckoned, holding his hand out closer to her. Akane gazed at it momentarily, hesitation clearly holding onto her with a vice like grip. After taking a careful breath in, confidently took the outstretched hand. Her long legs graced the pavement and she emerged, fluttering her shimmering turquoise eyes for all to see

_Get noticed, be confident, and accomplish what Sensei told you to…_

Students stopped and starred at the siblings, as Tamaki led her, graceful hand in hand, through the crowd. Peers flew in from all directions and a swell of discomfort flew furiously into Akane's chest. She forced out a smile, one she had practiced for a week straight to look believable enough.

_This is your punishment…_

Every room looked exactly the same, as did every face that stepped up to greet Akane and Tamaki as they waded through the hallway, if you could call it a highway. Akane greeted everyone, attempted to answer every question as graceful and happily as possible. Her heart beat fast with anxiety, hating every moment of this fake sincerity.

"Classroom 1-A," Tamaki announced, stopping in front of the classroom. "Here's you schedule; you'll probably be super excited about 4th period, but we'll let that stay a secret."

A gentle chime echoed through the marble tiled hallways and Tamaki grinned excitedly at his sister. "That's your cue," He urged, opening the classroom door wide open, exposing even more eager and curious faces staring into her. A small boy, only coming up to Akane's neck walked up to her, his friendly visage and brown glasses beaming at her. A girl trailed behind him, of average height and long brown hair.

"Have fun," Tamaki said, wrapping an arm around his sister's shoulder for a light hug, then striding off into the empty hallway. His right hand gave her a backwards wave and Akane was forced to slowly turn her head around to meet the classroom leaders.

* * *

"Everyone! Your attention please!" The boy, who apparently was the president of the class, called out. The class eagerly turned to the front of the room, their ears listening intently as the class president rarely made announcements that sounded this important.

"What do you think they'll be talking about this time?" Kaoru asked his twin, whispering lightly into Hikaru's ear. Hikaru's amber eyes burned with anticipation, turning back to his brother.

"I don't know, but I know there's a chance the president might squeal like a girl in the next minute..." he replied mischievously, causing the pretty brunette student next to him to turn and stare oddly at them.

"Oh, and why is that?" Kaoru asked snidely, a devious grin of his own slipping into his expression. Reaching stealthily under the table, the red head produced a long stick with a string tied on the end, from which a gruesome plastic spider dangled menacingly in the air. Haruhi sighed, knowing well enough the twins usual antics.

"Hey guys, don't so anything stupid. It's probably important," Haruhi nagged, throwing them a somewhat dirty look. Honestly, she was remotely tired, having stayed up a little too late last night studying for a test today. She let out a little yawn, stretching her arms to the ceiling.

"Fine, fine… we won't be mean to him," Hikaru reassured her, a "whatever" type look giving Haruhi enough trust in them to put her head to the desk and close her eyes.

"….we'll just give him a well-needed scare," Kaoru finished, the two sinking under the table like slippery snakes. With ninja like skill, they silently slipped to the empty teacher's desk, eagerly awaiting the perfect opportunity.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce our new student," The class president began, blissfully unaware of the plastic beast that was swinging behind his head. "Some of you may know her brother, since he is quite well known at Ouran. Please welcome Akane Suou," He announced, motioning towards the classroom door.

Behind him, the pole dropped to the ground with a loud clatter, though no one bothered to even gaze in its direction. Two open-mouthed twins who seemed frozen in time and space stared in surprise, their minds not on the same page as their ears. Haruhi's head jerked up in surprise, not believing her ears as well.

"Akane…" the twins stuttered, slowly rising from their hiding place.

"Suou?" Haruhi blurted, unable to wrap her mind around anything that had just been said.

Just then, the door gently swung open and a lithe figure gracefully sauntered into the room. Straight golden hair cascaded like a wedding train behind her and her yellow uniform dress complemented the hair's sunshine luster to the point of near heavenly brightness. She turned to face the class, flawless creamy pale skin and natural looking rosy cheeks presenting themselves to everyone's eyes. Her eyes gently fluttered open, the professional eyeliner and eye shadow bringing forth the depths of her sea-green irises to gleam against her beautiful and delicate features.

"Hello everyone," She spoke politely, her words flowing out like a mellifluous song. "I'm looking forward very much to getting to know everyone at this school. I hope we all can be very good friends." Her whole face beamed in a graceful and endearing expression, not a perfect white tooth out of line.

Haruhi stared, finally able to take in the girl that stood before her. Though it seemed strange, since all the host could do was gaze into the deep pool of Akane's blue-green eyes. It was like Haruhi was searching for the joy that usually burst out that expression; the same look Tamaki tended to don from time to time. But there wasn't a trace to be found, no one ounce anywhere. All Haruhi could manage to find was a sort of pain, faded into the back of her eyes, as if it was a bird locked in a cage she suppressed under her flawless exterior.

Akane quietly took her seat after making sure to personally greet everyone in the class and take mental note of everyone's name and/or family name. She was situated in the back row, next to a boy about the same size as the class president, although no where near as nervous and nerd-like. The new member of class 1-A quickly absorbed the features; short, cute chocolate brown hair, deep brown eyes to match, and an almost … _pretty_ air about him. Undeniably, there was something off about it, but Akane quickly shook it off, not having time to care about if she was uneasy about any of her peers. She had to be friends with everyone anyway.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Akane Suou. You may call me Akane-chan if you'd like," She greeted, putting just the right amount of cheer into her voice to make it sound natural. The "chan" thing usually got a giggle or smile out of the students.

"Uh… hello, Akane-chan," Haruhi replied, her voice somewhat unsure and surprised. As soon as she looked to Akane's eyes, she couldn't bear but delve into them again, only to achieve the same result as before.

"What's your name? If we're going to get to sit together, it'll be nice to know you well," She suggested slyly, making sure to add in "get" to make it sound more like she was looking forward to the whole ordeal.

"Fujioka Haruhi," Haruhi answered, still at somewhat of a loss for words.

"Haruhi… Ah! Are you one of the hosts? Oniisan mentioned you frequently when he talked about his club. It's very nice to finally meet you in person," Akane beamed. _Good, one more name I don't have to memorize._ From behind Haruhi, two identical looking red heads popped up, mouths still wide open from the earlier shock. They stared wide-eyed at Akane, examining her up and down, noticing the subtle similarities between her and her brother.

"Ah, you must be Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. I've heard a good deal about you two as well. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, another cheerful smile presenting itself. She outstretched her long arm and offered a hand to the still motionless twins. They remained still, not moving one inch at Akane's welcome.

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Wake up!" Haruhi whispered roughly, snapping her fingers in front of them several times, to no avail. Finally, she firmly smacked them both on the head, giving them a real rude awakening. They fell face first to the ground with a thud, chairs crashing around them. Haruhi and Akane peered over the collapsed desk, concerned for the strange duo. At an alarming speed, both heads shot up, causing the young Suou to stagger back in surprise. Two pairs of devious amber eyes gleamed at her and before she could react, two lean arms slid around her neck and hooked happily onto her slender shoulders.

"We apologize for before, Akane-san…" Kaoru started, though Akane could not tell one from the other. Her head swung back and forth between the two, each leaning casually on her as if she was a fence post.

"…We were just in shock of how much more beautiful you are than our lord," Hikaru continued, plastering a sly yet dashing grin on his face identical to Kaoru's. Akane fought the blush that attempted to surface on her cheeks, and allowed herself to let out a fake little giggle. On the inside, her stomach screamed in discomfort, wanting to slap both the twins of her shoulders.

She refrained though, and replied, "Why thank you, though I hope that doesn't spread to Tamaki. He thinks he's the pretty one." Yeah, that was generic enough. Actually, if she didn't have all this suffocating makeup on, she was sure Tamaki would look like a god compared to her.

The twins swiftly pulled away from her shoulder, as if they had rehearsed it a million times to be that perfectly in synchronization. They let out there own laugh, loving how they had discovered someone else who shared their delight of teasing Tamaki. They moved in quickly again, only inches away from her face, definitely close enough to get a whiff of her wonderfully stank-y perfume.

"So..." Hikaru started, making sure to breath lightly on her.

"…what are you doing during club activities?" Kaoru finished, his playful and sinister voice causing Akane's gut to yell out in protest and order her to punch him right there so he would get the heck away from her. She took a deep inhale, fighting off both blush and twisting discomfort, and reached around calmly to retrieve her schedule.

"Here, Tamaki signed me up for orchestra during the first half, but for the second half he wrote to come to this music room in the corner of the building," Akane explained, showing them Tamaki's hand written notes, all the kanji surrounded with tiny, scribbled cartoon characters that resembled that of a kindergartener's work.

"Ah…" They said in unison, turning towards each other for a group sneer.

"Make sure to be on time for the second-half," One of them spoke, Akane still completely unsure of which one was which.

"We know you'll enjoy it…" The other one mimicked in the exact same tone, both of them creeping a bit too close to Akane's face.

"Stop that you two! Go easy on her, it's only her first day!" Haruhi butted in, pushing the two to the ground. "Sorry about them. They're like kids with a new toy, if you know what I mean." Haruhi explained, offering a genuine smile.

"It's true!" The twins agreed behind her, as they jumped up as if nothing had happened.

"I'm looking forward to club activities then!" Akane beamed, faking a highly refined sense of interest. She was a tad bit intrigued, but more looking forward to something else that day.

* * *


	6. Beginnings

**Chapter 6**

**Beginnings

* * *

**

**_Twinkle, Twinkle little star…_**

_One by one, the playful notes ran out of the ivory keys, a pair of tiny, pink fingers the source of the sound. _

**_How I wonder what you are…_**

_The child stared intently at the keys, her complete energy focused on remembering every note she had learned. _

**_Up above the world so h—_**

"_No! I was so close! Stupid star!" A young Akane crossed her arms sourly, refusing to look at the grand piano in front of her. She practiced everyday, and yet she still couldn't play the simplest of songs._

"_What's wrong, Akane?" A familiar voice asked behind her, a hand, not too much bigger than her own now resting on her shoulder, She whirled her head to see her brother's smiling face, his perky aura creeping into her frustrated one. _

"_I'm no good, Tamaki! I'll never be close to you!" She cried, staring distraughtly at the pearl white keys. Though they were called by their full names by everyone else in France, they secretly called each other by their Japanese middle names, liking the foreign and different feel of it. Tamaki smiled, remembering how he had picked up the piano. He'd been somewhat of a natural, so it was hard to remember a time in his early stages when he struggled. _

"_Maybe piano's just not your thing, Akane," He suggested, turning her plump childish face to see his kind smile. "Close your eyes for one second, I'll be right back!" He ordered suddenly, dashing out of the room. A swelling excitement building inside of her, she quickly shut her eyes tight and covered them completely with her small hands. She shook ecstatically, knowing her brother would most definitely not disappoint her. _

"_Now hold out your hands, but keep your eyes closed," Tamaki instructed playfully, taking a large rectangular box shrouded in a velvet sheet from behind his back. He laid the package carefully in her arms, grinning crazily as he saw the anxiety on her face. He took a step back, enjoying every second of her excitement, knowing it would only make her initial reaction all the better. "Now…Open!"_

_Akane stared down at the velvet covered case in her hand, and quickly threw off the sheet onto the piano bench, its velvet wake revealing a black case. She looked quizzically at it, only taking a few seconds to look it over before setting it on the piano bench. Unfastening the snaps and zipper on the side, she lifted the lid. What lay before her was a small, dark red instrument; four strings, four turning pegs, and body in the shape of a figure eight._

"_What is it?" Akane asked, carefully laying her delicate hand across the four strings. Her fingers gently ran across them, a soft pitch coming from each string. _

"_It's a violin. It was mom's when she was little," He answered, leaning over and picking up the wooden instrument like it was made of glass. "It's a lot different from the piano, so I though you might like it better."_

"_Can you play it, Tamaki?" Akane wondered, staring excitedly at the violin, its glossy red finish gleaming in the sunlight of the windows. Her brother smiled at her and nodded, reaching into the case to put on the shoulder rest. He flourished his sleeves and elegantly set the instrument under his chin. Giving the bow a few turns to tighten, he held it above the strings. Taking a deep breath, the bow graced the strings._

**_Mary had a little lamb_**

**_Little lamb_**

**_Little lamb Mary had a little—_**

_The next note was completely off-key, and Akane couldn't help but break out into a fit of laughter. Tamaki's face grew extremely red, embarrassed his sister had caught his tiny lie. Turning his ashamed visage away, he stuck out the accursed instrument in front of her face. _

"_Fine, you play it then!" He demanded, hiding his reddened face form her sight. In the shining red wood, Akane saw her bright blue-green eyes staring back at her. She let a small smile slide onto her face, and tenderly reached out and took the violin from Tamaki. She snatched up the bow as well, and mimicking the way Tamaki had held it, she nestled it below her chin. She curved her fingers around the bow, lifting it onto the strings. Tamaki turned around, staring in amazement as his sister gently shut her eyes and played her first note, a bit of sunlight shining through the window and striking the girl and instrument at an enchanting note was true and clear, not hesitation or squeaking audible or in existence.  
_

"_René! Joséphine! Le dejeuner (lunch)!" Their mother called, breaking the magic of the moment. Obeying her mother, Akane set the instrument and bow carefully in the case, and snapped it shut. As Tamaki turned to go out the door to the kitchen, he felt a pair of small, thin arms grasp him above his waist. _

"_Merci beaucoup! I love it!" His younger sister said, squeezing him tightly. Tamaki turned around, and laying a warm hand on her blonde hair, grinned ecstatically at her. _

"_I knew you would! Maybe I'm physic or something!" Tamaki exclaimed, imagining himself in a turban and staring mystically into a crystal ball. _

"_Fine then, what am I thinking right now?" She laughed, closing her eyes tightly as if to strengthen her mental walls from the physic power. Tamaki pondered momentarily, before raising his finger in the air in victory. _

"_You are thinking that we having paté again for lunch!" He announced triumphantly, glowing in his own golden pride. _

"_Wrong!" Akane chimed happily, poking a finger at her brother's forehead. His wide violet eyes stared at her in surprise, blinking once or twice. _

"_I was thinking that one day, I'll be even better at violin than you are at piano!"_

"_Well then, we'll just see about that," He responded playfully, swiftly messing up her hair and running off to the kitchen. Akane looked angrily at her knotty locks and sprinted after him, all the while a smile pasted on her face that could be seen from halfway across the world. _

_

* * *

_

Reminiscing on that first encounter with her instrument, Akane let a real smile work its way onto her face as she stepped through the doors of the first high school music room. Instantly, she was greeted by the familiar scent of fresh rosin, the off key cacophony of tuning strings, and the gentle rustle of sheet music. It felt like home to her, nothing was alien to her. She soaked in the sights and smells, remembering had much she had desperately longed to play for the long period she had been tied down and forced to heal. She had been sure, even if she had possessed her old violin at the time, that not one of the doctors would allow her to even sit up and pluck a few notes.

"Hey, you're that new girl! Tamaki-senpai's sister, ne?" A girl a little bit shorter than Akane squealed, her brown hair pulled into a glamorous looking ponytail that framed her energetic face. The girl's high pitch voice rang in Akane's ears, the blonde haired girl wanting more than anything to let out a loud "ouch!". Instead she turned to the shorter girl, threw on a plastic grin, and replied.

"Yes, that's me," She answered, causing the little girl to let out another squeal, this one higher pitched and even louder than the former. Akane skillfully refrained from letting the creeped out stare that wanted to fly onto her face from leaving its spot in her mind. A few of the short squeaky one's friends, all about the same size and voice frequency her, flocked over to Akane's sides, giggling all the while. The introductions flew by and before she could breathe, they began to bombard question after question on her.

"Wow, your hair really pretty!"

"Your foundation is flawless! Do you use that German kind?"

"Where'd you get those shoes? They're so cute!"

_Okay, _Akane thought, taking a deep breath and continuing to smile,

_I hate my hair straightened, it looks like golden twigs and about as voluminous as them as well._

_This foundation is threatening to strangle my skin._

_I'm wearing the exact same shoes as you are!_

_No! Take your punishment! _ With one big mental slap she made her mouth spit out the words the girls wanted to hear.

"Thank you, but your hair has so much more volume. And I think it's from Australia actually. If you want, I'll get the name of it. Oh these shoes? I like them, but I think yours are cuter though," Akane replied all at once, keeping complete composure and adding an extra smile for each answer. Their faces all flew into happy awe, obviously delighted with the new girl's answers

"Ne, Akane-chan, would you like to come to my party this Friday? They'll be a bunch of really cool people there. You can probably make a lot of friends, being new and all," The original squeaky clone asked, all the girl's expectant eyes glued to Akane.

"Of course, I'd love to! Just tell me when and where," Akane answered merrily with no hesitation, knowing Sensei would be very pleased to hear she was invited to her first rich kid party on her first day. All the girls giggled in happiness, phone numbers were quickly exchanged and then the girls fluttered off to their seats. "Akane-chan is so cool!" "I'm so jealous! Both of the Suoh's are gorgeous!" "This party's going to be **so **awesome now!" She could hear their murmurs as they strolled off and Akane wondered how much longer she could possibly keep this act going. Some people, no matter how polite, as still annoying as hell. But she knew the answer to her own question. This charade would continue until she had repaid the Suoh family for the disgrace she had cast upon them, at least that's how the Chairwoman herself had put it.

The conductor called the class to order, the students taking their normal seats. Akane, realizing she didn't have a place to sit, quickly gazed down the 1st violin row. At the first stand, one boy sat alone and an empty chair right next to him. She quietly slipped into the chair, trying to keep a low profile for the moment. Of couse though, the conductor swiftly called her to stand.

"Akane Suoh, we're very glad to have you join us. My name is Mr. Kashikoi, and I'm the conductor of our great Ouran orchestra," He welcomed warmly, adjusting his thick glasses. The conductor was a spry looking geezer, thinning black hair crowning his head and a twinkle in his hazel eyes. His fingers were long and were covered in old, pale skin that seemed like saran wrap over his bones. Neck like an owl, he swung his head towards her and spoke in a youthful voice, as if there was a twenty year old man speaking instead of an elderly man.

"Also, this was dropped off for you," Mr. Kashikoi said, handing a violin case over to Akane. "I hope you can just jump in with our orchestra. We're in the middle of preparing for a concert. Mr. Nonaka, will you assist Mrs. Suoh for now?"

The boy next to Akane turned his head, revealing a handsome face with angled features that accented his near perfect complexion. His hair was a dark, cherry brown that hung carelessly off of his head, but was obviously cut and styled so that it lay glamorously over his ears.

"Of course, Kashikoi-sensei," He replied, his voice smooth and strong, but not overwhelming. The old man nodded and turned to the cello section. "Alright, let's take out that Bach we were working on last week, measure 56 if you please …with energy cellos!"

Nonaka turned to face Akane, his beautiful green-gray irises focused deeply on her. His hair caught a bit of wind, allowing the full force of his shaped features to shine.

"Hello, Suoh-san. Nice to finally meet the girl everyone in school's been talking about. And by the way, are you an interior decorator?" He asked, causing Akane to look strangely at him. _Okay, this guy was pretty cute, yet slightly strange. Maybe that's why no one sat next to him, _She thought to herself.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Nonaka-kun. And as far as I know, I'm not an interior decorator. Why do you ask?" She replied politely, keeping her best lady-like charms on, no matter how strange this guy was. Sensei had told her to keep the people she liked the least the closest, which almsot made sense at the moment.

"Because when I saw you, the room became beautiful,"

Akane couldn't help but blush just a little bit, even though the pick up line was lame and cheese filled on way too many levels. It was obvious he was already flirting with her ( _in a horribly uncool way_,_ but charming way_, she thought), but Akane knew the rules Sensei had set said she couldn't be mean to any student. If one person didn't like her, it could spread faster than the black plague. Luckily, the little bit of blush that had appeared pretty much blended in with her already falsely rosy cheeks.

"How kind of you to say that…thank you," Akane managed to say, not knowing at all how to act on this subject. She'd need to ask Sensei about **this** kind of situation.

"By the way, I'm Kenjiro Nonaka, but you can call me Jiro-kun if you like," Kenjiro answered, offering an interested smile and a straight forward hand. Inside, Akane's instincts told her something was off about this guy, but the complement before had off balanced her intuition.

"Alright then, Jiro-kun," Akane mustered out, trying to sound as sane as possible. God, was she still blushing? There was a bit of tension still in her chest as they turned to face the conductor. Kenjiro swiftly set up the music and Akane reached to pull the violin case into her lap. She urged her fingers to move fast unlocking the snaps, not wanting to get anymore behind than she probably was at the moment.

_Great, they probably got me some cheap piece of firewood to play on... _She thought to herself, opening the lid quietly as the violas and second violins burst into the harmony. What stared back at her was most definitely not firewood. Instead, a violin the color of wild, light chestnut gleamed dully at her, with lighter wood for the pegs, chin rest, and tailpiece. It rivaled the look of a Stradivarius, but Akane knew even her Tamaki wouldn't be able to convince anyone to get _that_ kind of instrument for her. With fluency that rivaled the sea, she removed the violin and placed the shoulder rest on. She tightened the bow, the pure white horse hair beaming as she brushed the rosin on. Brushing her finger lightly against the bow hairs, a cloud of pale powder billowed into the air and Akane nodded in approval.

"Okay, first violins! Pickup to Measure sixteen please!" Conductor Kashikoi bellowed, all the first violins assuming the ready position. Akane quickly looked over the measure and as the baton waved to the first beat, she let her hands take over.

* * *

**POP! **

"Waah!"

"Hunny-senpai, it's just a balloon! See?"

**POP!**

"Waah!!!"

"Mitsukuni,"

The wailing senior quieted momentarily, looking with tear-filled eyes at his tall, stoic friend.

"But Mori-kun, it's so loud!"

As all the other hosts began preparing for today's festivities, a lone host sat at the elegant wood table in the corner of the room. A large glass window let the radiant sunshine in, causing the teen to turn his laptop away from the interfering light. His fingers ran rampant across the keyboard, never hesitating and in an almost hypnotic rhythm. The fingers paused, pushing up their owner's sliding glasses. Kyouya Ootori's onyx gray eyes swept over the pages on the screen, his mind soaking up the important facts and filtering out any unnecessary information. Across the top of the screen, the words "Classified" were printed in large, bold black letters, so that even the blindest old man could read it.

It was amazing how well the Suoh's had covered up there new daughter's past. There was absolutely nothing he could bring up that wouldn't be common knowledge in less than a week. Kyouya's mind ran through all the information he had already collected;

**_Full Name: Joséphine Akane Christine Grantaine_**

**_Date of Birth: July 31_**

**_Height: 5 foot 8 inches_**

**_Blood Type: A_**

_**Childhood information: Born to a Sophie Grantaine in Paris, France. Lived in stable residence until her brother was taken away to Japan when she was thirteen. She and her mother disappeared soon after, living in an unknown apartment for the years to come, until Akane was mysteriously arrested and flown to Japan to join her brother. She was severely injured upon her arrival. Her mother's whereabouts are still unknown.** _

_Basically, a whole lot of crap…_ The young prodigy sighed, closing his laptop. If he wanted to break into the French police database, he'd need to use a few different methods. Even if he did though, it was highly probable the Suoh's had forced the police to delete the file. Shutting the laptop closed, he picked it up swiftly and walked towards the others. It seemed he had a bit of research to do on his own, more _inside_ work than he had expected. Why in the world would a teenage girl be arrested and sent to live with the family who had forsaken and hid her? What could she had possibly have done or even been involved in that would cause such a reaction? The young Ootori knew for a fact the elderly headmistress of the Suoh's hated this child more than Tamaki, so why would she permit such a thing? It couldn't have just been to take media attention away, could it? And if only, then what caused the attention?

Too many questions whirled around in Kyouya's head and the loud sound of popping elastic woke him from his inner thoughts, not that he let it show.

"Mother, look at how beautiful!" The twins chimed, sweeping their hands away to reveal the music room draped in colorful streamers, banners and signs, and a few balloons that were not lying in colorful shreds on the floor.

"This looks like a public school dance," Haruhi complained, a sigh escaping her lips. The twins, tweaked at her disapproval of their hard work, took a swelled-up balloon and popped it right next to her ear. She yelped in surprise and began arguing with them, the twins poking her and running away as she screamed insults at them.

"What do you think, Kyouya? Isn't it breath-taking?" Tamaki asled, the way he declared it being more of a concrete statement than a question to his best friend. His hands flourished to the decorations, magical sparkles adding flair to his presentation, though causing another balloon to pop. And then another ear splitting cry from Hunny-senpai.

"Hmm, it could use a few adjustments," Kyouya commented, putting down his laptop and elegantly clapping his hands twice. Immediately, planners and workers rushed through the doors, tearing down streamers and decorations. Tamaki's jaw fell to the floor, but Kyouya coolly pushed his glasses back up to their proper place.

"I knew you guys might need a little assistance, so I had help prepared. Don't fret too much, Tamaki. You can go boss them around if the decorators don't fit your need," The shadow king expounded, finishing with another one of his signature glasses-fixing motion. The king of the host club sprinted off to the party construction, directing the workers here and there, much to their displeasure.

_I'll have to throw in a little extra,_ Kyouya mentally noted, picking up his folder and scribbling it down just to make sure he would remember. He swiftly brought up his left wrist and glanced at the time. In twenty minutes, the workers would be gone. In the five minutes that followed, the host club would open its doors to invited customers, and then shut them as the five minutes concluded. Then exactly four minutes after that, Akane Suoh would arrive at the door and the festivities would begin.

_And then I'll have some work cut out for me…_The shadow king smiled, giving his folder a crisp snap shut.

* * *

Wow guys, thank you SO much for all the fantastic reviews. They were truly wonderful to read and gave me so much incentive to finish this chapter. I love constructive criticism, so review as you please.

Anyway, for any of you who aren't orchestra dorks like I am, rosin is dried tree sap that when scratched and rubbed by bow hairs, it causes the hairs to stick and hold onto the strings on stringed instruments much better, making it easier to play. If there are any other questions, just ask! Thanks again :D!

New Note: I did not realize how many typo's I had in this chapter. ;; Apologies, I think I was in kind of a rush to get it out. I'm too lazy to read it over somtimes...


	7. Havens and Winter

Wow, I'm a slacker. Sorry about that guys. And sorry about all the introduction crap in this chapter, I felt it kind of had to be done.

Oh and just so you know, I'll be going back into the chapters and revising all the mistakes and whatnot, so if you see anything I missed, let me know ^^! Thanks a bunch everyone! Review with the shiny green button, it's you friend!

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**Chapter 7**

**Havens and Winter  
**

_Does this hallway ever end?_ Akane wondered, a solitary figure in the marble tilled desert of a hallway. Her feet continued to move, fortunate enough to at least know where they were headed. In the middle of orchestra, she had asked Kenjiro where the third music room was, causing her stand partner to hang his head in a sigh and just barely give her understandable directions.

Next to her, the bright sunlight illuminated the hallway through a titanic glass window, causing her to pause and gaze longingly outside. Outside this window was a completely different world, where it didn't matter how many company heirs you were friends with or how many diamonds you had collecting dust at your mansion the size of a small country. A world that she was so much more familiar than this one lay outside, just out of reach. Longingly, she laid her hand on the flawless glass surface, gazing to the beautiful blue sky as white doves flocked to the rising wind; flakes of snow in a strong breeze. How she longed to rise with them and fly away from it all; all the tangled up and messy trouble she had caused; all the horrible things she had put Tamaki and her mother through.

Suddenly, a vision of flames blew into her mind, roaring with heat that threatened to burn her from just looking, were dancing in front of her eyes. She flinched back in fear, the flames so close in front of her, only inches away from burning her without an ounce of mercy. Then a building, with so many memories and so many possessions, appeared, blazing with fiery rage. Below, families gazed as their possessions burned to ashes, unable to save anything they had possessed. Yet Akane saw their faces and rather than the dismal and lugubrious faces one would expect to see, their visages were more stoic and untouchable than dolls made of the most fragile china. She knew why they weren't weeping though, why the children weren't balling in their mothers' shirts, and why the adults weren't yelling to the heavens for justification of this disaster. There was a state of being hung on their faces that was almost grateful, but was smothered and hidden in a shroud of the seriousness of the situation.

A sudden splatter broke her from her vision, revealing a spot of white goo dripping on the window in front of her. In an almost mocking way, the white winged culprit of the splatter turned around as it spread it wings, a wicked gleam striking out from its little beady eyes. The dove let the wind take him, floating away like a feather while Akane remained motionless.

_Damn bird,_ she thought, quickly turning away and sticking her nose into the air in disgust. Her eyes glanced back though, seeing the last streak of its white wings as they were swallowed into the sky. _That's what I want to do._

Before she knew it, a sign above her head rang the words she had been searching for: Third Music Room. Her lungs took in as much air as they could, making sure to refrain from making contact with her fragile rib cage. Lightly, her hand gripped onto the handle, the mind behind it filled with a million wonders and instructions. Letting out all the air she had sucked in, she pushed open the grand door. Like the soft feathers of a fledgling, rose petals swirled to greet her, their aroma so sweet and inviting it was almost intoxicating.

"Welcome, Akane-san," A harmony of voices sang, a pure white light blinding her vision momentarily before revealing the grand expanse before her.

The walls, once a glamorous off white, now were covered in with a gorgeous sky blue, iridescent as the one outside. Painted on were clouds as fluffy as cotton balls stuffed with marshmallows and more tangible than imaginable. The same emerald green, thick grass that she remembered from the parks in France seemed to be swaying toward her, carpeting the ground in front of her. In the dead center of the picturesque scene sat seven men, all identical in their powder blue school uniforms, yet each completely separated from the others.

From the corners of the room, girls seemed to seep out of the walls into the expanse, smiling giddily in delight, yet not stepping anywhere between Akane and the seven. With more grace than she could ever recall, her golden haired brother crossed the distance between them, the sky like background accentuating his violet-blue eyes.

"Welcome, Akane-chan," he greeted, a smile that struck her heart like a piercing arrow growing across her face. "to the Ouran Host Club! What do you think? Pretty cool, huh? Usually there isn't grass and stuff everywhere, but we thought you'd really like this! Come on, come meet everyone!" His strong arms caught her still awe-struck, her mind not registering as her feet mechanically moved with the pull. The six remaining hosts stood in front of her, most with charmingly handsome smiles.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce Akane Suoh!" Tamaki said gleefully, pride swelling everywhere around him, and almost choking his sister. Without warning, the two rust-orange haired twins crept forward, taking one of Akane's hands in each of theirs.

"Pleasure,"

"To meet your acquaintance again,"

"Akane-san," Hikaru and Kaoru bid in unison, placing a soft kiss on each hand. All around them, girls squealed in delight, wishing desperately it was them being graced by the devious twins, bringing Akane to remember that all the girls were watching.

"Alright, enough greeting from you two," Tamaki quipped, pushing them out of the way of his sister. Akane put on a grateful smile, trying to act amused with the situation and not seriously creeped-out like her innards were telling her.

"And your other classmate, who you already know," Tamaki stated, letting Haruhi smile in recognition.

"Nice to see you again, Akane-chan," the host greeted, offering a small, kind wave.

"Same here, Haruhi-kun," Again, Akane's eyes caught the feminine air around this student, but decided this was not the time or place to analyze further. She pasted on her own delighted expression, some of the girls sighing at how familiar the class mates already were.

"And this, is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, or Hunny-kun as we like to call him," Tamaki introduced, a small boy, tall enough to just barely reach her shoulder, appearing from behind her brother. Squeezed tightly in his arms was a pink bunny, and never letting go of her sight were his chocolate brown eyes that stared brightly up at her.

"Hey, Aka-chan, would you like some cake?" The senior asked, his affectionate smile beaming hopefully at her.

_Aka-chan? Where did that come from?_

"Of course, Hunny-senpai," She answered, her tone light and sweet. Man, this kid was adorable! She had the strong desire to pick him up and hug him tight, but of course like every other urge she that had shook her today, it was swiftly put away. Hunny's blissful stare suddenly broke, causing him to blink his eyes a few times in wonder at the girl. Before Akane could question the action, a towering figure emerged from behind the cute boy, his unreadable face looking directly at Akane.

Instead of fright, she stared curiously at the figure, more wondering why the small boy in front of the giant was running with his tiny little legs for dear life.

"Ah, and this is Takashi Morinozuka, or Mori-kun," Tamaki laughed, patting the raven haired boy lightly on the shoulder. Mori stared at Akane for a moment, his piercing ivory eyes analyzing her level of threat. A large hand came forward and he grunted a small, "Ah." Akane gracefully and graciously took the hand, curtsying ever so slightly. Though Mori seemed crazily intimidating, there was something protective about the boy, almost as if once he's accepted you, you had an extra pair of arms by your side. Akane's thoughts were swiftly cut off as her brother pulled her to the side to the last member.

"And, this is Ootori Kyouya-kun," He finished, peeking out proudly from behind the host club's shadow king.

Kyouya's hair, the color of a perfect sky at midnight, gleamed with model like gloss as he flashed a warm smile, not too strong or too persistent. Akane returned the gesture, letting her own grin slide own; a near exact mimic of Kyouya's own gracious visage. Tamaki glanced strangely back and forth between the two faces, the expressions exact mirrors of each other.

"It's great to finally meet the friend my brother speaks so frequently and highly of," Akane commented, speaking probably the most truthful statement she had all day. When she had been healing in bed, Tamaki had filled nearly every moment she was not asleep with stories of his friends and their strange activities. The young Ootori was probably the most spoken about, or possibly tied with Haruhi. Tamaki had the often tendency to talk on and on, the end of the stories never in sight. Not that Akane had ever minded this fact; she tended to let herself get lost in the stories, knowing that whenever the stories stopped, she would have to face her punishment.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Akane-san," Kyouya uttered warmly, adding a gentle bow to his introduction. Charm and grace radiated of off him in an irregular way, causing the host club members to look on in question, seeing their own dark lord being more polite than he normally was.

"If you wouldn't mind, Akane-san, would you mind if--"

Suddenly from the ground below, a titanic roar bellowed through the entire room, causing a chorus of terrified squeals to blow from the crowd of girls. Like an enormous earthquake, the grass covered floor split and from the dark depths below rose a figure on a rotating pedestal. A spine-chilling laugh echoed and as if perfectly coordinated in advance, all the light simultaneously shut off and a single spotlight shone to the figure on the pedestal. As the laughter grew louder, Akane could've sworn she heard several "Oh no," 's all together.

"What is this? A welcoming party and no one invited me, the Host club's manageress?!? Ohhoho!" The voice rang out, and the spotlight finally came into focus revealing another girl in the yellow uniform, a microphone clutched tightly in her angered hands.

"Oh, Renge-chan! I forgot about you," Tamaki said, feeling rather stupid for forgetting such an important supporting character. Pulling Akane away from Kyouya, he brought her before the pedestal. "Akane-chan, this is Renge-chan, the manageress of the Host Club."

"Nice to meet you, Renge-chan!" Akane greeted, her practiced smile showing no weakening signs though it had been pulled out about five hundred times that day.

"Hmmm…." The strange girl examined, jumping down from her tower to observe Akane. After rounding around the slightly nervous Akane once she stood in front of her and grinned excidetly. "Yes! Exactly what we need around here!"

"Eh? What?" Akane asked, still nervously standing there, eyes glazed wide in fear.

Grasping her hands together in joy, Range's eyes sparkled in happiness. "From now on, you'll be the Host Club's new attraction! Our new official waitress! You'll be sure to attract the eyes of all the male students here! O-Ho ho ho!"

"Ah, you're a genius, Renge! I see exactly where this is going!" Tamaki joined, also chorusing in the strange laughter.

"That's enough for today," Kyouya butted in, stepping in front of the clueless Akane, who could think of no reply to fit the current conversation.

"Aw, but Kyouya-kun, I want to see Akane-chan in a cute waitress outfit!" Tamaki complained, holding up a black and white maid outfit.

"Sorry, Tamaki, maybe another time. I just remembered I have to go the music room…to ahhh…-pick up my violin! Got lots to do! See you at home," She quickly covered, looking in disgust at the outfit and quickly bolting out the door.

As the doors swung behind her, Tamaki looked to the floor, disappointment welling up inside of him.

"You can't blame her, My Lord," Kaoru said, placing a hand on Tamaki's hanging shoulder.

"That's right, I'd be creeped out too if my brother asked me to wear a maid's outfit," Hikaru joined in, leaning on the other shoulder. From the other isde of Tamaki, Kaoru gasped quietly, causing Hikaru to rush over in surprise.

"You think I would do that to you, Hikaru?" Kaoru asked timidly, turning his face away from his twin.

"No, and I wouldn't care if you did! I'd wear anything if you asked me to," The twin replied.

"Hikaru…" Kaoru gasped, clutching his twins hands tightly in his own, sparkles of brotherly love shining around them. Completely distracting all the girls in the entire room, the twins gazing at each other as if they were the only ones in the room.

"Come on, Tamaki. Just let it wait until tomorrow," Kyouya said flatly, pulling the King of the Host Club up straight.

"Right! There's still hope!" Tamaki beamed, holding the maid outfit out proudly in front of him.

"Really, just get rid of that thing," Hikaru said, still clutching his twin.

Looking to the door, Hunny-kun couldn't help but feel uneasiness from the note Akane had left on. His deep brown eyes watched the doors rest into place, only to be easily averted as he heard some girl offer cake.

* * *

Akane ran down the halls, knowing well enough someone had already come to deliver her violin home. She just had to escape from the stifling air of that room and how beautiful it had been to her. Shaking the thought out of her head, she stopped short, a strange door having come into her peripheral vision.

Next to her was an unmarked, plain door, all by itself in this lost and empty hallway. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she turned the brass knob to see a flight of stairs leading into darkness.

She hesitated, unsure that anything good would come from ascending such a mysterious passageway. From behind her though, she could've sworn a pair of footsteps echoed to her ears, and she needed no further reason to hastily run up the stairs and shut the door tightly behind her.

Bursting through the other side of the stairs, a shining light blinded her vision. Her feet halted, and letting her eyes adjust to the light, she saw that she had found the roof of one of the school buildings. As if she couldn't control her own feet, she walked towards the edge, looking out onto the boisterous campus below. From what she could tell, no one really came up here and there was no purpose. With one whiff of the fresh air though, Akane felt her restless mind come to a quiet peace, and she knew she had found a haven of her own.

* * *

Akane sighed, scrubbing her face harshly with the wet towel for what seemed like five-hundredth time that night. She could still feel the greasy make up lingering on her skin, like a mosquito that would not die no matter how many times you smacked. Giving into defeat, she threw the towel onto her bed and flopped down next to it.

It was hard to believe so much ridiculous stuff had happened in just the first day. Reaching into her school bag (designer label by the way, courtesy of Sensei and completely not her taste), she dug around for a small picture, the last one she had taken with her mother, about a year ago. Her own hair flowed in natural waves to her arms in that picture, but her mother outshone her so much. Her kind yet care free smile, her beautiful violet eyes, even her delicate hands that tenderly clutched Akane made the girl long desperately to her the woman's voice, just for her mother to tell her they looked exactly the same, and that she should've been sisters.

Her eyes began to gently water and as the wet tears ran down her face, she quickly wiped them off, only to find a bit of leftover blush tinting her arm. She frowned in disgust at the makeup, flinging herself back onto the bed. A rush of papers flew over her, her school bag having flown open as she plopped. Angered again, she grabbed the papers lying on her forehead, nearly crumpling them in the process. Her eyes looked to the notes on the page, remembering she should probably practice after what old man conductor had said to her.

* * *

_Earlier that day..._

With a satisfying click, Akane's violin locker shut, locking away probably the most beautiful instrument her fingers had played on. She was satisfied with her efforts today, considering she hadn't played or even touched a violin for months. The school chimes rang out, and immediately, a barrage of yellow dresses flew out to the hallways. Akane cocked her head to the open door, a sea of Ouran girls' blind sunshine yellow dresses covering the hallway so that not even one scrap of the tiled floor or wall was visible. Laying her head against the grate of her locker, the girl sighed, realizing these rich girls had no bounds on their energy levels. She'd have to start drinking coffee or in taking some sort of caffeine, knowing it would be nearly impossible to catch the energy fever that was flaring off of every girl in the hallway.

"Ms. Suoh, could I have word with you?" Mr. Kashikoi asked, catching the girl completely off guard. Jerking her head form the locker, she whipped around to face the conductor. Looking straight forward, she couldn't see him, until she realized he was a good deal shorter than her. Her eyes quickly averted down, causing the old man to chuckle at her embarrassment.

"It's quite alright, Ms. Suoh," The old conductor smiled, causing Akane to feel a bit warmer on the inside. There was something about this geezer that was so easily likeable, you she couldn't' help but grin right back at him. "It comes from drinking too much coffee all these years."

_Okay, no coffee then…_

"I'd like to compliment you on your work today. You are quite skilled for your age, Ms. Akane," Mr. Kashikoi said, his expression honest and cheerful. Akane blushed, something she seemed to be doing a lot of today it seemed like.

"Kashikoi-sensei, you're too kind. I felt so out of place today," Akane replied politely, knowing it was more gracious to accept and then decline than too just accept the compliment. It didn't make much sense to her, but Sensei was the boss. Well, truly she was lying. She felt after sight-reading the pieces, they were fairly simple and had caught on well. Though, maybe she just stuck out compared to Kenjiro-kun who sat next to her. No offense to the boy, but Akane knew for a fact she was much better than he was. That boy could not seem to tell a sharp from a flat, even when she politely circled the sharp sign on the page, in red ink no less.

Much to Akane's surprise, the joyful look on the conductor's face morphed into one fully and completely serious.

"Now Ms. Suoh, I've been teaching orchestra for longer than you've been alive. And from what I saw from today, you possess great talent, and you are well aware of that," He stated flatly, taking off his thick glasses to wipe them on a clean white cloth. "As you may quickly learn, I don't give out compliments whimsically as some music directors in this school do. So listen well, this room is open for you to practice in any time you choose. I don't like to see talent go to waste. And since you missed much of the first semester, I have this for you."

The conductor reached behind him, pulling out a stack of music from the chair behind him. Akane was still in so much shock form his sudden speech, she simply stared as he picked out the first sheets from the stack. He held it out to her as he reached to put the stack back on the chair. Akane timidly took the papers, a beautiful script written across the top of the page reading: "_The Four Seasons: Winter_".

"That's right, Ms. Suoh. You know exactly what I'm thinking. We'll be playing this piece for the upcoming mid-year concert, and I want you to play the solo part."

"But, Kashikoi-sensei, I can't. I mean I've barely…"

"Don't worry about it, Ms. Suoh," Mr. Kashikoi encouraged, his normal shining and friendly demeanor returning to his face. Patting Akane's shoulders lightly, he began to saunter away.

"But Kash—"

"Antonio Vivaldi wrote this piece for young school girls to play. You should have no trouble at all, Ms. Suoh!" And with that, the door to the music room closed, leaving a distraught and confused Akane by herself.

* * *


	8. Boys to Boys

**Chapter 8**

**Boys to Boys**

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"You stupid girl," The chairwoman of the Suoh company spat, "You've only been there one day and you've already made a mess of everything!"

Across the small tea table sat Akane, quietly sipping her tea while with a pair hard worn eyes starring listlessly at her grandmother. She quickly set down her delicate china cup and opened her mouth to retaliate, only to have the elderly woman raise a hand to cut her off.

"Seeing as it was your first day though, your performance was acceptable. There are flaws we definitely need to fix though, especially that your social relations."

"I made friends with everyone I met that day. I learned everyone's last name and company status, and I got invited to a party this Friday," Akane stated as businesslike as she could muster, somewhat pissed that grandmother seemed to think she still needed improvement in an area she had busted her butt to do well in.

"I am well aware of that, but to point out the major flaw, tell me; who will be at this party?" Her grandmother asked, her same cold and unfeeling tone never stuttering or faltering. Akane gazed quizzically back at her Sensei, but decided to just answer than question it.

"A group of squeaky girls asked me, so I assume they will be there and a bunch of other girls—"

"Exactly, **girls**. Tell me, who normally takes over a family business?"

"The son, but—"

"Yes, the son. And how do you plan to be useful to this family and marry if you are mingling with only girls and no sons?" The old woman seethed, calmly taking a sip of tea. Akane glared down into the smooth yellow fabric of the dress she found horribly ugly. Her hands, shaking in anger, grabbed fistfuls of the expensive cloth and squeezed it with every ounce of frustration that coursed through her body like wildfire.

"Am I making myself quite clear, Akane?" The chairwoman inquired, setting her teacup delicately on the table without even bothering to look up at her granddaughter. It was everything Akane could do not to yell out in vicious anger at the woman who scolded her as if she was lower than dirt. According to her grandmother, she wasn't even worth wasting a simple glance.

"Akane? Would you like me to send you to where you _deserve_ to be? Is that what you want, even after your father and brother risked their entire careers to keep you out of there?"

Akane's head jerked upwards, troubled sea green eyes wide in exasperation. She knew all to well the chairwoman wasn't joking about anything in that statement. The last part struck her hard, like someone had punched the air right out of her stomach and left her to cringe in pain. She could feel the warm tears jerking at the corners of her eyes, wanting to show her grandmother how much agony she was in.

_NO! I don't want to give her the satisfaction! I-I won't!_

In an act of desperation, she threw her head towards her dress again, watching as her hands twitched and her knuckles turned stark white with the amount of emotion that she was trying to suppress with her fists.

"Akane? Do I need to repeat myself?"

"No, Sensei."

"Am I making myself clear when I say you are to pay more attention to the sons?" Her grandmother spoke solemnly, a light grin playing on the side of lips. The chairwoman knew quite well how to corner this weak little weed that had squirmed its way into Suoh's garden. But, unlike your normal gardener, who would've disposed of such an eyesore as fast as possible, she was wiser. She would dress it up like a flower, force it to act like a flower, so one day some fool of a man would come along and pluck her from the garden. Then the Suoh's would forever be rid of such a nuisance, and the garden would again flourish, everyone forgetting about such a useless weed.

"Yes, Sensei."

"Good, now, let's talk about Tamaki's ridiculous club. This scenario could work to our advantage if we…"

* * *

"I'd like to accept your offer from yesterday, about becoming the host club's waitress," Akane smiled, gazing politely at the rest of the host club as they drank afternoon coffee and tea. All at the same time, every host, except for Kyouya who was busily typing away on his laptop, spit their beverage out like broken control sprinkler. Lucky for the host club, it was after school hours and they had a bit of time before their doors opened for clients. Yesterday had been a special occasion, since they didn't normally use the club room during the school time.

"Really??? Oh, you really do love me, Akane-chan! We're going to have so much fun together!" Tamaki squealed, leaping across to his sister and tackling her in joy.

"Ano, Tamaki… would you kindly get off me? My ribcage is starting to poke me," Akane asked as politely as she could. Normally whenever her brother hugged her tightly, she would squeeze him back until he couldn't breathe, resulting in both of them cracking up like they were seven again.

Tamaki swiftly removed himself, muttering a never ending strand of 'sorry's and offering to get her some ice or rush her to the hospital. Akane politely refused over and over again, until Haruhi quickly interrupted.

"Are you sure you want to Akane-chan? You shouldn't do it if you too pressured," The girl host prodded, wanting to keep anyone else from suffering the kind of fate she had been forced into. No matter what way Haruhi looked at it, she couldn't see why Akane would want to do such a job in the first place. Haruhi could tell the girl was already trying to push her brother away as much as she could, so why would she want to involve herself in a place where he was at his _flauntiest _every day.

"Thanks for you concern, Haruhi-kun, but I thought about it and it might be the best way to get back in touch with my brother since we've been separated for quite a while," Akane replied, taking a sip of her own tea. Truly, she hated the prospect of coming here everyday and having to serve the most frivolous girls in the school tea while watching them burn their money on fantasies that could never manifest themselves in real life. She almost felt sorry for them, since they probably didn't get to choose their husbands, just like her. No, she didn't care about that part. The sooner she got married off, the sooner she'd be free of the old witch's evil demands.

Haruhi looked back at her, watching Akane's troubled eyes fight against her smiling exterior. It was almost painful to watch the torture that was contained in those blue-green irises.

"Ohohoho!!!" The familiar laugh rang out in the room, the same pedestal as the day before rising from the floor to reveal the Host Club's manageress. Jumping down in the middle of their conversation, Renge grasped Akane's shoulder in her strong hands.

"I see you have chosen, but are you sure you're up to it? There is no room for laziness or failure in this club!" The crazed girl stated, her eyes in a serious dead-lock with Akane's.

"Wait, weren't you the one who begged her to do this in the first place?" The twins asked, their questioning eyes wandering over to Range.

"Never mind that," Renge mumbled, subtly punching the two twins out of the way.

"I'll try my best, Renge-chan," Akane replied firmly, not letting any ounce of hesitation enter her tone.

"Yosh! Alright, let's begin your training, Akane-chan!"

From the corner of the group, Kyouya let his eyes wander through the pages on the screen, still nearly no information on his recent subject to be found. Still, he hadn't gotten the opportunity to speak to her yet, but her behavior from yesterday's celebration had revealed several things to him:

She did not want to be near her brother for longer than necessary, but not because she disliked him.

Over the course of 24 hours she had performed a complete change of attitude towards a job she had flatly refused yesterday.

Every few minutes or so, you could find her gazing off as if she had somewhere she'd rather be.

Still, Akane's life had been overly dramatic the last couple months, so personality quirks were easily explainable. Absentmindedly, he began pulling up the record for the Suoh's limo service yesterday and began scanning, suddenly noticing a strange abnormality in the schedule. Smiling to himself, he let his mind calculate the motives and he came out with the most logical choice, causing him to widen his grin a bit more. It was almost too perfect, and all the more info he could use to his advantage.

"Mommy, what are you smiling about?" Tamaki asked, rising in front of the young Ootori from below his laptop. Gracefully lowering the monitor of his laptop, he returned to his normal stoic expression with a flick of his shining glasses.

"It's none of your concern, _Father_," Kyouya retorted, abruptly pushing the king of the host club away from his computer with his foot. Tamaki stumbled backwards onto the floor and stared quizzically up at his best friend before letting his normal charming, yet goofy smile jump back on his face.

"Oh, that was your evil scheming face. What are you up to?" Tamaki inquired slyly, putting a contemplative hand to his own face.

"If you watch carefully, you just might find out, baka," Kyouya responded, pushing up his glasses once more and returning his laptop to its upright position to continue his work.

* * *

As the doors to the Host Club opened that day, all of the normal customers were surprised to see the king's little sister standing in the room with a tray full of tea in her hands. Mouths eagerly drooling with this juicy gossip, nearly every girl flipped out their expensive cell phone to text every student on their contact list the newest word on campus. Akane inwardly sighed in grief, watching as the chairwoman's plan perfectly unfolded before her eyes. Her mind quickly returned to reality as the twins called for another tray of sweets and she rushed over to help.

Then, as if the entire world was against her, the squealing clones from the orchestra room yesterday were waiting right at the table.

"Ah! Akane-chan, we didn't know you helped at the Host Club! That's so cool!" One of them exclaimed, the other two nodding in agreement with clone number one's statement. They stared jealously at her, though Akane felt painfully idiotic in her big yellow dress that was now covered in a frilly white apron, courtesy of Renge herself.

"Yep!" Hikaru answered for her, wrapping an arm around the girl, "She's our new servant, so she'll be here all the time for your serving pleasure."

_Will people ever __**stop**__ touching me?! _Akane inwardly groaned, swiftly slipping out the twins grasp and placing the dishes on the table as refined as she could.

"Well then, I have to get back to my duties, but if you need anything all, just call for me! I hope to see you all here again," Akane bid farewell, grinning sweetly and curtsying before gracefully striding off.

It wasn't particularly hard work to walk from table to table serving tea, but keeping herself in a perpetually gleeful mood was exhausting. Seeing that every host and his customers were content after an hour or so, she flung herself down into the nearest chair and stretched her arms around her seat.

"Taking a break I see?" A calm voice behind her commented, causing Akane's heart to nearly break her ribcage, _again_. Akane whipped her head around to see Kyouya, notebook and pen in hand, smiling pleasantly behind her.

"Ah, Ootori-kun, you scared me," she greeted, trying to recover from nearly falling out of her seat from his _greeting_. "How all you hosts have so much energy I will never know."

"It's only your first day on the job, so don't feel like you have to push yourself too hard," He commented frankly, offering only another generic smile before writing down something in his little notebook.

For some reason, Akane wanted nothing more to than to bury her fist in the young Ootori's face. On the other hand, she was trying to recover from exhaustion, so wasting effort on something that would only get her into extreme trouble was not a wise decision in the first place. Something about the way he spoke to her though, that he thought he knew _exactly_ what she needed to hear and that he couldn't spare her an ounce of actual sympathy made her insides burn in anger. Who did he think he _was_? Sure, he was probably crazy rich, but from what she knew, he wasn't even going to inherit his family company. What a _loser_. Akane really couldn't talk about being a loser though, since she was the one having to serve people in the stupid apron.

After a brief moment of akward silence, Sensei's words suddenly flooded back into her head. "….._I say you are to pay more attention to the sons?"_

"So Ootori-kun, why aren't you entertaining any clients?" Akane asked, trying to sound as naïve as possible. Tamaki had already told her Kyouya was more of the financial specialist of the host club and was usually too busy with business to entertain. It was stupid to ask questions you already knew the answer to, but Akane was desperate for a conversation starter.

Instead of instantly replying, Kyouya turned towards her and stared at her annalistically before saying, "You shouldn't ask questions if you already know the answer to them."

"How, wa-w-what? I don't think I know what you're talking about," Akane quickly stuttered and recovered, honestly not believing that her exact thoughts had suddenly become his comeback. Still, she couldn't let him know, but _how_ did he know?

"Playing the stupid yet beautiful girl doesn't suit you, does it, Akane-san?" Kyouya replied coolly, not having to think for a moment about his words. His seething grey eyes tore through his glasses and into her startled eyes.

_H-how can he possibly know that? There's no way he could've figured that much out for having watched me for only two days! I haven't even had one of those "I talk to myself about my life's pains when I think no one else is around" moments! Play it cool, Akane, maybe he's just taking a stab in the dark. _

"Haha! You're such a kidder, Ootori!" Akane laughed, waving her hand cutely in front of her.

"I never kid," Kyouya replied flatly, shifting his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose with his two fingers. "And you shouldn't act so air headed all the time, you might stay that way forever."

Never before in her life had Akane wanted to punch someone so many times that their face would look like their own foot, only covered in bloody scars and missing all their teeth. This was her first time. Containing her sanity as much as possible, she wheeled herself around to completely face Kyouya, their eyes locking without a single blink between the both of them.

"And you shouldn't pry into other's choices or I might permanently stick my foot in your face," Akane retorted, her voice deathly calm and murderous at the same time.

"Well well, aren't we a bit feisty?" Kyouya commented, never breaking the intense gaze for a moment. He could feel the heat and hatred through her eyes, yet she seemed to keep a lid on the vast majority of it.

"Listen here, you scum-sucking runt of the litter, I'm trying to keep my cool and you are most definitely **not** helping in that area. I don't want any kind of bull from you, or any other nosy prick who thinks he knows anything about me. And if that doesn't fit into your schedule, then your pretty little face and my fist are going to have a long chat. _Good_ day to you, Ootori," Akane seethed, abruptly getting up and sauntering to get more tea for Hunny's table.

Lowering his gaze back to his notebook, Kyouya couldn't help but grin as he wrote the newest notes.

_-Violent_

_-Quick tongued_

_-Somewhat easily provoked_

_-Hiding more than first perceived  


* * *

_

The week continued more smoothly, Akane distancing herself from Kyouya as much as humanly possible. She was constantly visiting the roof of the school, her only escape from the land of the rich and the stupid. Once she even skipped orchestra just to get away from Kenjiro, who was now constantly grinding her nerves. It was no longer just the pure lack of musical knowledge that made him annoying; it was more the fact that he was continuously complimenting her. Normally, she would just giggle it off, but whenever she did that, he thought it was more incentive to flirt with her and it **never** seemed to end. The pick up lines weren't even that good. There were more like the lines you would use if you were a 35 years old guy still living in your basement and you hitting on the pretty girl who drives the mail truck, which you ran out to greet _everyday_.

From this, Akane concluded that if she ever had a child as annoying and thick-headed as Kenjiro was, she'd stage her own death and fly away to Peru where she'd herd llamas for the rest of her life. Okay maybe not, but she was growing sick of her idiotic stand partner more quickly than anyone else she had known in her entire life. Well, besides Kyouya whom she had only spoken to once and had forced her to use violent threats (which she hadn't used since coming over to Japan).

She'd had a dream the night after the incident with Ootori-kun, that he had announced to the whole school she was a fraud and was only friends with them because they went to Ouran. Instantly and without question, every student believed him and for some reason, Akane was so delighted by this she threw herself off the roof of the school. A long time ago, Akane had read a theory by an Austrian psychologist named Sigmund Freud that the deepest desires of our subconscious manifest themselves when we dream. Akane hoped to God she didn't want to kill herself that badly.

"Aka-chan! Come eat cake with me!" Hunny called, his area vacant and without a single customer. Akane was extremely fatigued as it was and she most definitely wasn't going to sit with Kyouya again, so anywhere would do. She brought some fresh coffee and tea with her to the table, setting down the tray as with graceful practice.

"Mitsukuni," Mori stated, causing both Akane and Hunny to look up to the towering, unreadable figure. The dark headed senior stood up as the small boy nodded in reply, and without another word stalked out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Akane asked, nervously taking a sip of her tea. She could never tell what Mori was thinking, and it was scary to think she had upset him so much that he left. Did he know everything just like Kyouya? Did he despise her?

"He just had to go the bathroom!" the cute boy replied, causing Akane to take a large sigh. "Ne, Aka-chan, do you like it here at Ouran?"

Akane looked curiously at the tiny senior before her, wondering if that question had an inner meaning. Her fear where quickly assuaged when he took a whole piece of cake on his fork and shoveled it into his mouth, a ring of crumbs around his mouth.

"Of course, Hunny-sempai. Everyone's been nothing but nice to me since I've been here," She replied, smiling warmly at the host with chocolate brown eyes. For some reason, she never really had to force a smile when talking to Hunny. The air around him was always pure and welcoming. It was no wonder he got as many customers as he did.

"That's great!" Hunny cheered, wiping the crumbs from around his face and taking another bite of cake in a swift fashion. "You know, I was kind of worried. I have a brother in this school too, but there's still so much tension between us. When you first came, it felt like you and Tama-chan were unsure with each other, but I'm glad to see it's gotten better!"

Akane's insides suddenly morphed to warm mush, her vocal chords wanting to let out one giant "AWWWW!". Even though she had barely talked to the senior, he seemed to care enough about her to welcome her and tell her about his own problems. Her face slid into probably the most honest smile she had experienced since entering the academy.

"Thank you, Hunny-sempai," She said, her smile radiating through her entire body. The sweet host gazed at her in wonder, this smile completely different than the ones that she had been using the entire week. He grinned back, offering her a slice of cake which she gratefully accepted.

* * *

**Wow, Akane and Kyouya's argument was almost **_**too much**_** fun to write _. And I have discovered my love for italicizing and bolding words for emphasize. **

**Anyways, don't you love how nearly every chapter I switch the way I spell 'Suoh'? And how I completely skipped from 3 to 5 with chapter numbers? Sorry about that, I guess I just have a sort attention span for stuff like that. Also, I actually proof-read this chapter, so there shouldn't be very many typos. Or too many 'from's turned to 'form's. And if you couldn't tell, I had really hard time thinking of a chapter title, until I realized this whole chapter is about boys… ^__^ aren't I clever?**

**Review like you do! (Wow that was pretty moronic… and white) XD**


	9. To Break

Chapter 9

To Break

* * *

_Dawn broke through the streets of Paris, a peaceful hum of morning silence ringing through the streets. Sunlight began to peek out through the trees that lined a nestled row of cottage-like homes, fresh dew spread across emerald grass. The sound of a creaking door was faintly audible as Akane slipped outside, the taste of invigorating air filling up her lungs. Making sure the violin case in her hands was shut tight and safe, she strolled harmoniously down the lane. There was a feeling flying through the air that told her today held something good, whispering that something fantastic would happen today. Then again, she seemed to get that feeling quite often, since her daily ritual of waking early always brought her into a great mood. _

_It had been nearly a year since Tamaki had been swept out of her and her mother's lives, and she still thought about him everyday. She hadn't even been able to see him off, since there was a bit of media attention when the chairwoman arrived to get Tamaki, and her grandmother wanted the second dirty child nowhere near the public eye. Her mother had swiftly moved them to the neighborhood they now resided in, completely shut off from the Suoh's, aside from the hefty check that was deposited into their bank account every month. _

_For the next month that followed her brother's departure, Akane would wake up gasping in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Not recognizing where she was, she would run to the room across from hers, which had always been Tamaki's. Seeing nothing more than an empty guest bedroom, she would curl up on the unfamiliar and foreign mattress, hoping her brother would walk in to comfort her. Her mother, Sophie, tried her best to help Akane adapt, taking her out shopping or trying to distract her daughter from thoughts of her brother. Eventually, Akane slept peacefully and to vent her distraught she wrote letters to her brother, but never tried to send any of them, knowing the arrangement that had been put into place. Her mother soon purchased a grand piano which they kept in the living room, Sophie often giving lessons to children in the neighborhood. Akane never touched the instrument though;, she was never good at the piano anyway. _

_After walking about a mile through the city, she came to her favorite and most choice spot for business. Stores stretched down the street as far as the eye could see and in the middle of the street stood a magnificent fountain, a naked, pudgy angel pouring a pitcher of water from the crown of the fountain. She played at this spot quite often, so she had gotten into the habit of calling the little angel Nic, after the one of the concertos she usually played, written by a crazy violinist named Niccolo Paganini. Setting down her case in front of a narrow alley in between two buildings and right behind the fountain, she could see people beginning to meander through the shops. Tenderly, Akane took out her violin and tuned by ear, watching as crowds of people began to stroll through the shopping street. _

_Tightening her bow with another twist, she let the sound ring out, a single, sweet note echoing through the street. Deciding today was a crowd-pleasing kind of day, she began to play newest pop song she had heard on the radio. Akane didn't really mind the song and most of the pop songs were relatively simple to figure out. Plus, people always tipped better when you played something they recognized. Coins and crumpled bills began to trickle into her open case as she flipped form song to song._

_Afternoon crept upon the open street and deciding to change it up, Akane switched to her regular favorite, Paganini's Caprice 4. Her fingers began to hug and vibrate the strings, her eyes closed calmly in concentration. Letting memory guide her, the bow swung in careful and across the long, aching notes. Paganini had made his concertos to be nearly impossible to play, but Akane had practiced this one for a straight month, without playing any other piece, and found herself loving every note. She could only manage the less technical concertos, since she lacked formal training immensely. Flying through the dramatic double-stops and ridiculous vibratos, she let the crowd gather around her in awe. With one last theatrical vibrato, Akane let the bow slide off the strings. _

_A lonely applause jumped into her ears and her eyes burst open, searching for the single clapping soul. Her eyes fell upon a tall, limbering, middle aged man, tousled amounts of black hair blocking his own eyes. He wore a brown button-up shirt with the majority of the top buttons undone, revealing a ruffled gray undershirt. His pants were drastically worn out jeans that looked like they hadn't been tossed into the washer last week and since it was nearly winter, he wore a light-weight black windbreaker, also unzipped. _

"_Trés bein, mademoiselle!" The strange man cheered, making his way over to her. Akane watched carefully as his lanky legs trotted over, not sure what to make of the man. He didn't seem the type who would jump a street musician, usually those where the people who commented after every song in a slurred, almost impediment dialect and continuously shifted their eyes for cops. At the same time, he didn't seem like he was walking over just to tell her he enjoyed the tune. _

"_Merci beaucoup," She replied, gazing as the old man tossed a coin into her case. There was an uneasy aura around this man, so she decided it was time to scare him off with embarrassment. "Do you enjoy Paganini? That caprice isn't one of the more technical pieces, but the use of harmonious double-stops is interesting."_

_The old man stared at her for a moment, then, without warning or reason, he burst out into furious laughter, holding his stomach to contain his bellows. Akane glared at the man, angry he was making a mockery of her while she was trying to work. _

"_Might I ask what the hell is so funny?" The young violinist hissed, placing frustrated hands on her hips. _

"_Well look who's trying to be a smartass. Geez, kids these days think they know everything," The man replied, sighing and shaking his head in disgust. _

"_Excuse me?" Akane retorted rudely, her sea-green eyes blazing with rage. _

"_I'll cut to the chase then. Although that Paganini was… somewhat enjoyable, it is painfully obvious you lack any technical skill at all," The stranger sighed, crossing his arms. "You clearly haven't an ounce of formal training, nor do you have any or reason to play such a splendid caprice."_

"_Woah there, Mr. Git-extrodinaire, who the hell do you think you are?" Akane seethed, hating this guy more and more with each passing moment._

"_Hmm, good question. May I borrow your violin for a moment?" He answered, spreading his palm open for her instrument. Without hesitation, Akane nearly threw her violin and bow into his hands, boiling over at the cocky stranger. Honestly and truly, yeah, she hadn't had lessons or any of that formal training, but she was talented and she knew it. _

_Pressing the chin rest to his strong face, he retuned the strings to the exact pitches, causing Akane to nearly tackle him in deathly rage. With one short twist to tighten the bow, he set the horse hairs to the strings and let his fingers fly. It was at the capricious and flawlessly executed, not one excess movement or clumsy motion to throw the tune out of sync. As the bow began to bounce skillfully over the strings, a crowd began to congregate around the man. His hands, like huge spiders with long, spindle-like legs, danced over the strings with flowing, mechanical motions. The bow cascading and flowing from string to string, Akane saw his eyes closed and a look of peaceful and effortless concentration worn like a smirk on his visage. _

_The piece was Paganini Caprice 24, the most extremely difficult and impossibly challenging technical of the concertos the mad violinist ever wrote. It took near a lifetime for any violinist to master such a piece, let alone play it on the spot any time you wanted to. Akane stared in absolute awe, this man's every vibrato, every bow stroke, utterly and without a doubt flawless and beautiful. _

_As his bow flew with wild control, he let out the last flowing note and let the bow fall from the strings. The crowd erupted into applause, a plethora of more bills than Akane had ever earned flying into the open case. The man bowed, smiling earnestly at the crowd as they begged for another. Ignoring them completely, he turned to Akane and put the violin into her zombie-like and listless hands. _

"_It's not a bad instrument, though it's only a step above firewood," He smiled, ruffling some of his messy black hair away from his eyes. _

"_H-how did you- when did- What __**are**__ you?" Akane blurted, unable to fathom what had just happened. _

"_C'mon, pick up your case. I've got something to show you. That is, if you want to see it," He said rather nonchalantly, digging his hands into his pockets and wandering off into the street. Hesitation not existing in her blood, Akane hastily threw in her violin and bow and chased after the man, no thoughts that this decision could be dangerous or stupid anywhere near her mind. _

_

* * *

_

Friday's party couldn't have been more wonderful, at least in every one else's mind besides the beautiful blonde who stood in the middle of a crowd of people, sulking on the inside. Akane had loathed the party even before she had entered. First of all, the make up level had been increased from "80's glam rock band" to "super drag queen" and her face felt like it was made of freshly dried concrete. In addition to that, the chairwoman had hired a stylist to make Akane a dress especially for the occasion. When Akane had seen the dress for the first time after school that day, her instant thought was, "This isn't a "Girls Gone Wild" party, is it?"

The dress was a halter top, a shade of light pink spanning the fabric with a dark, black antique style flower pattern that Akane thought would've better suited lingerie than a party dress. Among other features of the dress, the front was cut low, but only low enough so if a guy danced with her and looked down for a moment, he'd get quite a show. The length of the dress was also an issue, coming a few inches below the length Akane would've had to wear pants with it. Akane knew for a fact she wasn't bending down to get anything tonight. But if her grandmother was going to dress her up in this kind of clothing, she might as well have gone to the party in her bikini (which she had to bring in case someone wanted to go swimming during the party.)

Early on in the party, the squeaky musketeers had come up to Akane and began introducing her to the entire room of guests. They were forcing her into being the main attraction of the party, and Akane had no choice but to let them push her into the limelight. After chatting it up with various groups of people (mostly guys, since she was on strict orders thanks to her dear grandmother), she excused herself to go to the bathroom. She sat inside the bathroom, which happened to be twice as large as her room back in Paris, and sighed, wanting nothing more than to sneak out the nearest window and make a run for it. Her plans of escape where abruptly interrupted when a loud knock and a familiar voice echoed through the bathroom.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" A man's voice asked, Akane immediately recognizing that smooth tone that caused many a girl in orchestra to swoon.

"One second!" Akane answered quickly, flushing the toilet to make it seem like she had a believable reason to be in the bathroom. She gently opened the door, seeing the same brunette who had clung to her everyday in orchestra. It was a good thing he looked good, or else no one would hang around him for more than a grand total of five seconds.

"Oh, Kenjiro-kun!" Akane greeted, trying to sound surprised.

"Hey, Akane-chan. Someone told me you might be in there. I just got here so I thought it might be nice for you to have someone you know with you, since I don't want you to be nervous or alone," He replied, flashing a winning smile at Akane.

If this boy had any intelligence hidden under all that gorgeous hair, he probably would've realized Akane had no problem socializing with others. Every single day in orchestra she chatted to every student, or started waving through one of the windows to someone walking by in the hallway. She had even told him about the many people she had met through the host club, and he _still _thought she needed help breaking the ice with people.

"Aw, thanks for your concern," Akane replied. What stunk even more than having to see Kenjiro on a regular basis was that Sensei was encouraging it as much as she possible. When Akane had informed her of being stand partners with Kenjiro Nonaka, she thought her grandmother was about to go into cardiac arrest with the amount breathing she was not doing. Apparently, the Nonaka family owned the largest empire of factories in the world, dominating nearly every product department if not being the number one producer. Her grandmother said she couldn't have picked a better boy to pursue Akane and told Akane to let him chase and court her. The horrible thing was, Akane would have rather been courted by the greasy kid in the back of the Math classroom and only talked to people about his recent basket weaving class.

"Uh, Akane-chan, aren't you going to wash your hands?" Kenjiro questioned, pointing to Akane's delicate hands. So apparently he notices things like that, but **not** people's social behaviors. "Don't worry, it can be out little secret if you want it to. And in return for my silence, you could just call me Jiro without the –kun."

"Actually, I didn't even use the bathroom, I was just…" Akane sighed, seeing no other way to throw the conversation. She most certainly was _not_ going to call him Jiro. "…was nervous from the amount of people at this party."

"It's okay, Akane. I shall be your escort for the entire party," He replied like a puppy who just had a delicious bone dangled in front of his face. With practiced grace, he placed her arm on top of his and led the way into the party. _Someone shoot me…_Akane prayed silently, putting on her best party smile before entering the jungle, again.

* * *

For the weeks that followed, it was plain to see the growing tensions in Ouran. Akane's beauty and charms had seized nearly every male student's attention on campus, and at the same time, had turned nearly every girl against her. Behind her back, she could hear the envious whispers and silver tongued lies that spread like the plague from girl to girl. Though in front of her, they couldn't have been sweeter or more polite. They knew the boys would pay even less attention and probably hate them if they were openly savage, so most affairs continued in the normal routine. There had been a few mishaps involving some missing personal objects, misplaced books, and some accidental spills on Akane's dress.

Akane wanted to let them continue their childish bullying, but the Chairwoman swiftly heard of the situation and put another ridiculous strategy into motion. The following events preceded somewhat like this;

"_Sensei, I seem to have lost all my pencils," Akane said sadly, a somewhat desperate and helpless look spread blatantly across her face. Her weak countenance, flashing like a beaco , shown out to the entire classroom, and within five seconds…_

"_Akane-chan, here you go!"_

"_No please, use mine, Suoh-san!" _

"_I was here first, so take my pencil!"_

"_Please, use mine!"_

"_No mine!"_

And thus, did the rest of the girls quickly realize no amount of teasing would avert the eyes of every guy from the Suou heiress. In the way Sensei had put it, Akane was the perfect marriage for any of the men who were destined to take over companies of their own. For one, she was gorgeous, graceful, and practically perfect in every aspect that mattered when you took her to your next dinner party. It also didn't hurt that it was common knowledge that Tamaki didn't sit on thick ice to succeed the Suou company one day. Akane was constantly receiving flowers, having boys carry her books, or even just having boys throw their own jackets onto the ground so she wouldn't have to step into a puddle. She loathed every minute of it.

***************

"Akane, you busy?" Tamaki asked, lying down on his sister's bed as she sat slumped over her desk. Her pencil moved rapidly, not bothering to pause as her brother spoke. The golden haired boy turned his head, seeing her papers covered in calculations, all completely off and utterly wrong.

"Do you need any help?" Her brother inquired, hating to see her struggling. His sister was intelligent, but never quite had all the book smarts. She always had to know why something was, not just how it was, so teachers usually hated her endless questions that only slowed their lectures more and more. Her weakness lied in the fact she couldn't focus on a new topic until she knew the last topic backwards, forwards and every which way.

"No, Tamaki. I'm fine," She grunted, running her long, gangly fingers through her golden hair. Tension grew with every pencil mark, her brother's offer not helping her frustration in the least.

"C'mon. Look, that supposed to be 2x, not 22x," He suggested, leaning over her and pointing along her paper.

"_Leave me alone_, Tamaki," Akane grumbled, blocking her paper from his eyes. She towered over the paper, pushing the porcelain vase, binders, and pencil cases to the far corners of her desk. It was blatantly obvious she was irritated, which she seldom was at her brother. It had been a long week though, endless parties and flirtatious, scandalous affairs that had to be taken care of. Sensei had been pushing her farther and farther every day, and all together, she wanted to crawl into a deep dark hole, curl up, and just die.

"No really, just look right there," He insisted, prodding his finger through her barrier and onto the paper.

"Stop it, Tamaki. I can do it myself. _I don't need your help_," She snarled, weaving around his pointing finger. She wished he'd just go away so she could just die in peace. Her head was already aching in pain from the math, now even more so from all the squabbling. _Just go away._

"Look! Right there!" He exclaimed, jabbing furiously at her paper. Her head throbbed furiously, her limbs flailing to block her insistent pursuer.

"_SHUT UP_!" Akane screamed. She thrashed her arms out wide to knock her brother away, knocking the porcelain vase to the floor with a loud crash. Tamaki stood speechless, unable to speak at his sister's outrage. Akane's fists constricted her blood flow, her ferocity flaming around her.

"Listen to me, you baka! _I don't want your help! _Can't you see I don't want you around?!?!" She roared, her sea green eyes furiously boring into her brother's speechless face.

Aching silence followed, Tamaki unable to speak anything other than "Akane…"

Her eyes began to glaze over, the sides of the glimmering irises burning with repressed tears. Losing control of her own body, the young girl collapsed to her knees, barely noticing the vicious shards of porcelain that broke into her flesh. With tears flooding out of her eyes, she feebly wrapped her arms around herself, unable to control the shivers raging down her spine. Tamaki tenderly knelt to her, slowly wrapping his warm arms around his sister. Tears mixed with heavy foundation and runny mascara slid down her face down onto his clothes, unnoticed by either sibling. She gave into the embrace, burying her shameful face in his open shoulder and letting the pain seep onto his shirt. Careful comfort flowing from every ounce of his movements, Tamaki gently stroked her golden hair and hugged her tighter.

They knelt on the porcelain covered floor for what seemed like hours, until Tamaki realized Akane had slipped off into sleep. With gentle motions, he scooped her up and tenderly tucked her into bed like she was the small girl he remembered from years ago. Feeling a pair of eyes on his back, he turned around to find Shima gazing in on the siblings. Nodding with an understanding beyond the years of anyone in the house, Shima motioned for Tamaki to exit so she could clean up the mess. Eyes full of soft, warm reception; he turned to place a kiss onto Akane's forehead and quietly left the room.

The head housekeeper glided over to the broken porcelain, quickly seeing that the vase was easily fixable though shattered into numerous pieces. With a countenance reverent and sympathetic, she gazed from the broken pieces to the girl. They mirrored each other; the young girl and vase. She was being pushed too far, and her fall from grace seemed inevitable. But the vase was one step ahead of Akane, for the shattering of a person only followed a fall, and right now Akane was dangerously tilting on the edge of her own table. Shima only hoped the damage remained curable, and wouldn't leave the one scar that never heals.

* * *

READ THIS FOR GOODIES ABOUT UPCOMING CHAPTERS!

Okay, besides actually profreading this chapter (amazing, I know!) I have placed several _foreshadows_ in this chapter. Look for words _in italics_ in the last portion of the chapter, and see if you can guess what they may lead too. Go ahead you meddling kids, go for it! Oh, and just incase you wanted to know, next chapter will contain some MAJOR Kyouya interaction, so check it out.

And if you wanted to know, if you press that shiny button that says reply and you wirte something (hopefully in english) then the chapter WILL COME FASTER! But no pressure, Scooby-Doo!

I feel like I'm writing Harry Potter books, cause each chapter gets longer than the last XD. [/randomness]


	10. First Time, First Name

A/N (If you **listen to music** while you read, listen to "Lisa, Listen to me" by Blood, Sweat, and Tears or "Fences" by Paramore during this chapter. They're completely different songs but they really fit the chapter. And now I'll leave you guys alone to read.)

**Chapter 10**

** First Time, First Name**

* * *

A ragged chill began to run through the air as winter crept upon Ouran. Akane, wrapped in a top of the line fur coat slipped into her limo, unaccompanied by her brother. Many boys gathered around the shining black car to bid the young lady farewell, their eager and rabid smiles a shopworn occurrence. With a long practiced smile she waved charmingly to them and let the driver speed away from the school. Difficulties remained in finding happiness or even relief in her day, but Akane always looked forward to finding possible spare time in between parties and get togethers, events though one or another happened ever single freaking day. If she could spare the time, she practiced for the upcoming concerto in orchestra, though her mind seemed to be wildly flinging back into her first violin lessons, an occurrence Akane had been furiously refraining from remembering. She and Tamaki spoke more often than before, but they still weren't at the right level. There was still a wall Akane purposely kept up, but Tamaki seemed excited to receive more communication than before.

Every time she told her brother about her worries or horrible situations, he'd always smile and say it'd all be okay. And that comforted her for a total of ten minutes until she went to bed and lay awake knowing things weren't getting any better. She longed for someone to spell it out to her and tell her exactly what she **should** be doing, but then again, she didn't have any real friends.

Just beautiful and rich ones.

* * *

Rubbing her hair with a luxuriously fluffy towel, Akane swiftly grabbed another pillow like towel and wrapped it around herself. The fresh, just out of the shower feel swept over her, willingly absorbing the moment she wasn't covered in crazy amounts of makeup or her hair wasn't coated in mousse. Letting her long, damp hair cascade past her shoulders, she watched as its familiar frizzy and curly texture began to bloom in the dry areas. She couldn't remember the last time she had let her hair dry curly without having it straightened or completely disfigured the next moment.

Throwing on a white tank, red cardigan, and long black sweat pants, she officially declared this was the first time in months she had looked indecent and she couldn't help but grin wildly.

Flying down the stairs like a giddy child on Christmas morning, she made her way to the kitchen, glancing around her suspiciously as she neared the pantry. Double-checking that no one was within the vicinity of the expansive and stainless-steel kitchen, Akane let the pantry drawer slide ajar and watched as salvation lay before her. Her eyes lit up at the image of a box of Pop Tarts, something she hadn't even seen since she was in France. Grabbing the box with ninja-like skill, she silently slipped out the kitchen and headed towards her room, so she could eat the sacred goodness in peace.

"Baka, you never learn, do you?" A familiar voice echoed through the foyer, Akane freezing still. Crap, she had been caught. But why was _he _in her house? Turning around slowly, she gaped at the fact that no one stood anywhere around her.

"Ah Mommy, you're so mean to me!"

"Shut up, I'm not nor will I ever be your mother."

Akane sighed, glad she hadn't been caught in her caper. Still, her curiosity caught her before she could finish the crime, and she stalked to the main room, the voices growing louder and louder.

Sitting in a kotatsu, a traditional Japanese low table covered in a futon and heavy blankets, was Tamaki and Kyouya, sipping tea light-heartedly without a care in the world. Well, at least Tamaki was, since Kyouya never really showed he was having a good time unless he had made a conquest of some sort. Tamaki giggled and gabbed, living in the moment where it was only him and his best friend. Akane had never understood how or why these two were friends.

Sure, she had heard the whole story from Tamaki, but he often exaggerated things and left out important parts, so is creditability for this story was negative five. The two boys were complete opposites; one was kind, sweet, gentle, sincere, and completely naïve, while the other was conniving, insidious, calculating, cruel, and not to mention a complete and utter jerk.

"Oh, I'll go get us some more tea! You wait right here, mon amie!" Tamaki exclaimed, grabbing the two cups and skipping out of the room like no man ever should. Luckily, Tamkai choose the other exit out of the room, so he hadn't even noticed her eavesdropping position. She remained unseen behind the edge of the doorway though, in case Kyouya decided to check. Akane gazed as the raven-haired stretched out his long, graceful arms and gave a slight yawn.

"In some countries it's illegal to eavesdrop," Kyouya smiled, pushing up his shining glasses with a single finger.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you were bitten by some radioactive spider or if you just know everything," Akane retorted, stepping out from her hiding place. She didn't have the will to fight the senior at this point, nor did she quite forgive him for their earlier spat. He had attempted to speak to her since then, but she had swiftly cut him off every instance, not wanting to hear his spiteful and conniving words.

"Do you think I'd tell you?" Kyouya turned, intimations of a subtle grin of triumph across his face.

"That'd be about as likely as you running out and buying a pair of contacts," Akane replied, sauntering over to the couch behind the kotatsu.

"Maybe I have astigmatism," He answered coolly, his countenance suggesting that he was enjoying the conversation almost too much.

"Aw, it's a shame you're eyes are disfigured and not your brain," Akane jeered slyly, enjoying that her tongue was lashing out as it pleased. She couldn't remember the last time she had insulted someone to their face.

"Do you hate me because I understand you, or because you just need someone to be your personal punching bag?" Kyouya inquired, his piercing onyx eyes scanning her.

Without warning, Akane burst out into a scary and frightful fit of laughter, flopping herself onto the armchair beside the blanket-ed table.

"Wow, that is probably the most funny and stupidest thing you've said to me yet," Akane replied, not caring how rude or insulting she was. "I find it hilarious how you think that since you've read every document you could find on me that you get the crazy disillusion that you actually understand me."

"I seem to know enough to break your temper," Kyouya answered calmly, his eyes smug.

Crap, he had her. But Akane's pride wouldn't let her admit defeat.

"Understanding and knowing are two completely different things," Akane spat, crossing her arms defensively.

"Really, is that so?" Kyouya smirked, resting his head on a propped up fist. "Enlighten me then."

"You can read every news article, hack into every police report, and investigate every soul in Japan, but I can promise you that you will never understand _why _I am here and _why _I am parading around like mindless idiot," Akane seethed, her deep blue-green eyes burning with a hatred for his ignorance. He challenged her and she refused to disappoint.

"Touché́," He nodded, still smiling as if he held all the cards.

That's what she despised about Kyouya. The amount of cruelty and smart-ass-ness that seemed to ooze form his every action irked her to no end. In her mind she was assured that his heart was replaced with a bottomless black vortex, sucking in any unfortunate souls whom the young Ootori disliked. He never sugar-coated anything when he spoke to her, never straying away from the immediate point he wanted to convey. It was an occurrence that was so irregular to Akane. _Hold the phone…_

"Ootori, would you be interested in making deal?" Akane inquired, a solemn countenance conveying her serious feelings.

"Oh, I'm listening intently," Kyouya answered, Akane's proposal piquing his best interest. It was strange that the girl who possibly hated him more than any other student at Ouran to be offering him anything at all.

"Look, to be completely honest I'm pretty freakin' tired of people feeling sorry for me **all the time.** It's moronic and I'm sick of it. For the deal, all you have to do is listen to my ranting and raving and promise that you won't try to comfort me or sugar-coat it or any of that nonsense," Akane stated, her proposition probably the strangest Kyouya had ever heard.

"Go on," Kyouya encouraged, his business face completely unfazed and unyielding in manner. Akane realized this look was probably more practiced than her own fake smile.

"In return, I'll probably let slip some of the choicest gossip going around the school, maybe even some of it unknown to you. And I realize that may not be a lot, so in addition I'll give you one question. You can ask me anything and I give you my word that I will answer truthfully and without hesitation. I think these are pretty equal terms, since I figure you can probably find some crazy question that'll—"

"I accept," Kyouya spoke calmly, his voice so steady that even an earthquake couldn't have shaken it. He stared at her with stolid and dour eyes, Akane unable to read anything from his expression. Outstretching his lithe and professionally poised hand to her, Kyouya gave her an encouraging smile, catching Akane completely off guard. Sitting up straight to match him, she placed her own delicate hand in his, shaking it firmly.

"We can start now, if you'd like," Ootori spoke coolly, readjusting his position so he was completely turned to Akane while he sat under the kotatsu. It was strange, since he nearly sounded sincere, though Akane couldn't decipher if it was truthful or not. Then remembering that she didn't care, she addressed him.

"Wait, but what about Tamaki?" Akane asked, realizing her brother had been preparing tea for quite a while.

"If I remember correctly, Tamaki still has about seven and half minutes in the kitchen while he shoos off chefs, burns himself a few times, spills it, and then remakes it. In addition, I can probably get us twenty more minutes," Kyouya calculated, not pausing once to recall or reassess his examinations.

Completely not believing him, Akane crossed her arms smugly and asked, "Is that so? Enlighten me then."

Flipping his cell phone open with practiced motion, no excess or unneeded motions in his action, he pressed the speed dial.

"Tamaki, yeah it's me. Hey, I'm feeling peckish, do you have any of those strange American toaster pastries? Yes the colorful ones. Yes, I'll wait," Kyouya paused, allowing Akane to suddenly realize she was still holding the box of Pop Tarts she had stolen some time ago.

"Aw, I can't find any Kyouya. Wait, I know! I'll run to one of those commoner super markets! But which one? Maybe Haruhi would know…Kyouya! Stay right where you are! I will be back as soon as possible with the Pop Tarts!" Tamaki called out over the phone, loud enough for even Akane to hear. The line dropped dead, Kyouya closing his phone with a satisfying 'click'. A content yet sinister pulled at the sides of his grin, the young heir sliding his phone back into his pocket.

"Make that forty minutes," Kyouya smirked, Akane still in disbelief, but showing no outward signs of it.

"Fine, you win," She sighed in defeat, taking a seat opposite him at the table. "I hope you're ready for this, because I have got a **lot **of complaints."

"I'll try and keep up," Kyouya smiled, his eyes still filled with an eerie slyness and solemnity that somewhat comforted Akane. She didn't care about him in the least, so there was no holding back and no worries wither he was prepared or not. He was here to listen and he took the job quite seriously, something that gave him a little brownie point in Akane's mind, strangely enough.

Ripping open a bag of the thin, frosted pastries, Akane began her monologue. There was no filter on her speech, letting each word slide out as it had wished to for months. Her tongue embraced the pent-up anger and frustration she had barely contained for what seemed like eternity and lashed out at every student, parent, or human who had bugged her in the least.

Kyouya was true to his word, listening carefully to her every word. He nodded in agreement to many points, and it wasn't even that fake nod you give to teachers when you're trying to make them think you're listening. He held an air not of understanding, but more of a comprehension as to her situation.

"And you know Kejiro Nonaka? Well, of course you do. But seriously, that boy is not the sharpest crayon in the box. Like that guy is about as smart as a stick. Somewhere a village is deprived of their idiot. He's about as sharp as a marble," Akane ranted, letting her frustration at her stand partner explode form her lips. Across from her, Kyouya suddenly let out a chuckle, and Akane instantly froze up.

"Did you just laugh?" She asked, in complete shock of the shadow king's action. Kyouya continued smiling, his visage honest and utterly amused by the girl's slandering.

"I am physically capable of laughter, you know," He grinned, resting his head to the side on a propped up palm. "I find it amusing because I think nearly the same things when I talk to Kenjiro.

"Finally! Someone actually sees that that idiot has an IQ smaller than his shoe size," Akane spit out happily, relieved that she wasn't alone in her thoughts. Kyouya snickered again, seeming to refrain from another comment. "What is it? You're not telling me something."

"Another amusing factor," Kyouya replied, repositioning his glasses and subtly beaming all the while, "is that he talks about you nearly every day."

"You're kidding, right?" Akane gaped. It seemed logical Kyouya would know a lot about Kenjiro, since apparently they were in the same class.

"It's pathetic to say the least. He goes on and on about how great of friends you are, how pretty you are, how much you laugh at his jokes, etcetera. Although it's entertaining that he has never once mentioned any aspect of your personality," Kyouya answered, calculating that Akane would understand the last sentence to what it implied.

Nearly instantly, Akane leaned her head to face the floor, not daring to speak or show her face. She could feel the tears crawling at the sides of her eyes. Akane hated how she seemed to be crying all the time, and even more so hated knowing it was pure weakness within her.

"Have I said too much?" Kyouya asked coolly, no hint of consideration in his voice, yet no spite either. Akane merely shook her head in reply, fearing that her voice would crack or stutter if she answered verbally. Kyouya sighed, sad he had not predicted such an emotional reaction from Akane. At the same time, their agreement entailed that he wasn't allowed to say anything comforting, though he felt a strange pull to at least change the subject. Though her pain ridden face was hidden beneath a veil of golden curls, it was no strain to imagine the tortured look that stained her visage. His plotting mind overtook his instincts though, and before he knew it, he was speaking.

"I'm surprised you're offended by this," He spoke, no smile or grin hidden anywhere on his face. "Wasn't your goal to attract shallow, well endowed male students with your good looks and polite manners? You should well know by now that most of them don't care one bit about a sparkling personality when it comes to their future spouse."

Not replying, she kept her head facing the floor. Akane winced as the tears trickled across the bottom of her eyes, though these tears seemed to be different from all the other laments she had experienced in the past.

Kyouya gut flared again, calling out to him to shut up and stop bashing her. He couldn't see the pain, but his instincts where forcing him to stare at her intently. **No**; emotions had never controlled Kyouya Ootori, and that wouldn't change for the sake of some tragic, depressed, and crybaby girl whom he barely knew as a person. Easily overpowering his emotions, he let his tongue loose.

"I don't know what you'd otherwise expect, acting the way you do. I wouldn't think you'd be dense enough to believe that they actually enjoyed your company because of your personality. Sometimes I can't believe they actually believe how kind you are. You're like the perfect wife they've been searching for; rich, beautiful, charming, subservient. And you still believe that your ideas and thoughts are what sell you. You're as ignorant and shallow as they are," Kyouya nearly laughed at her. He had no compassion for this girl if she thought such dense and moronic things.

Suddenly, Akane's face jerked up and Kyouya couldn't control his face from twisting into stupor. Framed within her wild golden curls and shining tears that cascaded down her soft cheeks stood a simple and grateful smile, lighting the entire room with its honesty. It was the first time Akane felt her true smile immerse itself to the outside world and she was powerless to cease its existence. She gazed at Kyouya with tremendous floods of gratitude, the smile radiating her natural and graceful features.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted someone to say those words to me. Thank you, Ootori," Akane gleamed, glistening clear tears running down the side of her face. No one had told her she was stupid or moronic or dense beside her grandmother in the last few months, and it was almost an instantaneous relief to know that someone wasn't going to lie to her that she was dumb. Kyouya had called her stupid, and she had never been given a greater complement.

Kyouya sat dumbfounded in front of her, unable to fathom what had just happened. He felt his heart thumping louder and louder in his ears as her smile sent chills down his spine. Never had he known a smile this… honest. And it was meant for him and him alone. His features struggled to maintain composure and swallowing his emotions as best he could, though he couldn't resist the smile that prodded the sides of his mouth.

"You do know you're allowed to call me Kyouya," He spoke, making sure his voice was controlled and calm, though he surprised himself as unintended kindness slipped its way in. This girl was severely throwing him off and his gut wouldn't allow him to dislike one bit of it.

"Then thank you, Kyouya," Akane repeated, letting a peaceful silence settle between the two for a precious moment. Though he had predicted it, Kyouya never quite fathomed quite how deep her problems lay. Scratches and minor bruises were the only things she had admitted him to know, though half of them he himself would never have guessed. A lurking desire aroused him to know more, to understand her in the exact way she had described it to him. What scars could possibly damage this girl, who cared for no one and never let her own personality shine through.

A sudden quaking shook the mansion back and forth as the sound of a slamming door echoed throughout the halls. Kyouya whipped his head down to his wristwatch, realizing it was ten minutes after his prediction of Tamaki's arrival had originally been. Akane's eyes grew wide, her long torso swiftly jumping over the couch and out of view at the doorway where she had first entered.

"Kyouya! We're back with the Pop Tarts!" A familiarly cheerful voice greeted, the perky blonde boy poking his head into the expanse of the living room.

Effortlessly throwing on his normal stoic visage, Kyouya replied, "We?" Though he knew all to well who Tamaki had dragged back to the mansion.

"Oh, hi Kyouya-sempai," Haruhi greeted, stepping into view. She was wearing actual girl clothes, consisting of some pink parts and hair clips, something very irregular to all the hosts. "Hey, aren't those Pop Tarts?" The girl host pointed out, motioning to the half-devoured box of pastries that sat on top of the kotatsu.

"One of the maids found them shortly after you left, though most were already eaten when I received them," Kyouya replied flatly, upholding his reputation as one of the world's most accomplished liars.

"Tamaki, you home?" Akane's voice called out as she entered the living room, wanting to assist Kyouya's alibi as best she could. Even though they had a fair trade off deal, the girl felt as though she still owed him something, especially after what he said to her. As her eyes traveled to her brother, they abruptly stopped short at Haruhi. Eyes nearly bulging out of her head, her mouth gaped open, struggling to find the right words.

"I knew it! Haurhi's a girl!" Akane exclaimed, pointing furiously at the girl host.

"Hey there…. Akane-chan," Haruhi stuttered, waving sheepishly. If anyone had been looking at Kyouya that moment, they would've seen a titanic grin stretch across his face and an excitable light glimmering in his deep onyx eyes.

* * *

"Mrs. Chairman, there's an important call for you on line three," the secretary's mild-mannered voice spoke through the intercom. The elderly businesswoman swiftly snatched the phone, lifting it professionally to her ear.

"Hello, this is Suou Nobara," She answered stoically, no ounce of emotion remotely close to her voice.

"Hello Chairwoman, this is Nonaka Yunosuke. I'm calling on behalf of an offer that may interest you…." The business giant on the other end of the line replied.

As Mr. Nonaka spoke, the apocalypse must have been coming, because the Chairwoman's face suddenly twisted into a grotesque shape never seen before; a smile.

* * *

Hooray for plot devices and foreshadowing! If any of you care to know, the next chapter will contian either a vast majority or all of Akane's past from Paris, so be excited! And a CRAZY UNEXPECTED (or expected if you're like physic or something) TWIST THAT WILL CHANGE THIS STORY **_FOREVER_**!

Oh and if you review like last time, (by the way THANK YOU!!!!! 8DDDDD ) The chapters are better and come faster!!! More smileys! 8D


	11. The End's Beginning

If you listen to music , listen to **Money to be Made by The Hoosiers** when you get to the third section.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**The End's Beginning**

_Akane strode after the tall, lanky stranger down the side streets of Paris, her insides boiling with anger. She blindly followed him, not caring his possible motive or reason. No one who could play the violin that well would care to go through all that trouble just to kidnap some girl. In her mind, Akane still saw visions of his perfect dancing fingers as they danced to play Caprice 24. Akane could scarcely look at that piece without passing out._

_After about ten minutes of walking, Akane growing with impatience that only added to her disgruntlement. As she opened her mouth to complain, the man whipped around to face her, his crystal blue eyes glimmering in the afternoon sun. "We're here," He replied to her silent question, leading her out of the alley way and into the shining light of a back Paris street. The road was lined with massive brick buildings, most decomposing and covered in twisting ivy. Smudged glass windows hid their contents and not a soul stirred beneath them. _

_The man sauntered across the cobble stoned street, the uneven ground unfamiliar to Akane. He veered left towards the cleanest looking building, though emerald ivy wrapped its tentacles around the sharp red bricks. After shuffling in his pocket for a moment, the stranger produced a key and after minor struggling with the lock, opened the large wooden door. Akane followed him without hesitation, stepping into the dark wood foyer. _

_They entered a narrow hallway directly led to a flight of creaking stairs, their rotting surface not bothering either person for a moment. The stairs led to a near never ending hall of doors, each engraved with a golden calligraphic number. Long legs striding to the end of the hall, the man stopped in front of Number 12. Once again scrambling for the keys, the man forced the pair to wait. From the other side of the door, Akane heard the sweet melody of some Bach violin, most likely a recording from the spot on pitch. Finally throwing the door open, the man threw his windbreaker onto the coat rack. _

"_Paul! Je suis ̀a la maison!" The spindly man called out into the apartment, Akane taking notice of the decor. The apartment was simple and somewhat disconjoined, stray sheets of music and cups spread around the rooms. Deep beiges and slowly aging wallpaper lined the walls, though projected a warm aura throughout the area. _

_Emerging from an open doorway was a small boy, no older than nine or ten. He stood only to Akane's neck, chocolate shaggy curls matted to his head while deep hazel eyes lay magnified by a pair of large framed glasses. In his creamy hands was a stack of sheet music, long strings of sixteenth notes and slurs smattered across the paper. _

"_Paul, this is…What's your name again?" The man asked, seeming to have forgotten such an important thing as to ask a person's name who you dragged half way across Paris. _

"_Akane," She replied, any hint of anger gone from her voice. Akane stared intently at Paul, not believing how much his face reminded her of Tamaki._

"_Yes, this is Akane. Paul, Akane was playing Paganini No. 4 today, not so well I may add. Would you like to help her?" He explained, smiling as the quiet boy trotted off to another room. Before Akane could even question, Paul had returned, two full size wood bows in his hands. Offering one to Akane, Paul smiled as he took one for himself and laid his stubby fingers in the correct bow holding position. He nodded for Akane to do the same, her already long fingers gracefully arching to fit the end of the bow. _

"_The number four caprice involves both fast fingers and slow vibrato, so let's see how good your fingers are compared to Paul's. Watch," The man insisted, motioning to the boy. Without refrain, Paul's finger's ran up like a spider to the top of the bow and back down again into their original position. _

"_Now you try, Akane," The older man egged, smugly crossing his arms. _

"_How hard can it be?" Akane scoffed, letting her fingers travel up the bow. Before she was even close to the tip, the wooden bow slipped out of her fingers and fell the carpet. _

"_Just warming up!" She covered, embarrassed as she picked up her bow from the ground. Beginning again, she let her crawl up the wood, only to have the stick clatter to the carpet. Furiously, she vainly attempted the feat repeatedly, only to find her fingers unable to move. _

"_Not so easy, is it?" The man commented, patting Akane on the shoulder. _

"_What are you people?" She asked, exasperated at her paralyzed fingers. At this the man laughed and led her into the kitchen, offering her a nice cup of Chai tea. _

_After situating everyone around the table, Paul whispered something to the older man, who nodded joyfully in reply. A bright smile lit up Paul's face as he scrambled out of the kitchen and to other ends of the apartment. Nearly instantly, the same Bach concerto filled the apartment, the sublime notes flowing together perfectly. _

"_I guess you're pretty weirded out at this point," The man laughed, sipping his steaming Chai tea only to instantly burn his tongue and fan it with his spindly hands in vain. _

_Akane chuckled in reply, standing up and grabbing an ice cube from the nearby freezer and handing it to the man. Though she didn't know who he was or his name, she liked his clumsy and quirky personality, another reminder of her gone brother. It was strange how even when he wasn't with her, she still found herself seeing him all the time within others. _

"_Yeah, I guess you could say that. So am I ever going to know your name?" Akane joked, watching as the man rubbed the ice cube across his tongue and sighing as the pain faded. _

"_Leonce Boudreaux, at your service," Leonce replied, his speech barely comprehensible with the ice cube still on his tongue. Offering a hand to her, Akane smiled and gladly accepted._

"_Well Leo, or whatever you just said, tell me how both you and Paul are such great virtuosos and why you have made it your burden to shoulder me, such an unskilled violinist who 'lacks any technical skill'?" She inquired, slowly slipping her tea so not to burn herself. _

_Monsieur Boudreaux laughed in reply, again distorted by the nearly melted ice on his tongue. Swallowing the rest of the ice, he stopped his chortle and stared straight at the young girl. _

"_Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? How about a deal? If you can beat Paul in bow race, than I shall tell you all you want to know. And, if I am impressed enough, I shall take you under my wing, for no charge I might add!" Leonce offered, a smug grin staining his visage. _

"_Deal, but what happens if I lose?" Akane questioned, sipping her warm tea. _

"_You may never return to this place and erase it from your memory forever," Leonce answered grimly, a stoic expression of complete seriousness masking him. Paul appeared at the doorway, striking the beginning of Beethoven's 5__th__ on his violin (the one that goes "Da-da-daaa-DUN"). Akane gulped, not even fathoming what she had just gotten herself into._

_

* * *

_

The next day at school followed it predecessors, Akane falling into line with the normal routine. It was amazing how precise Kyouya's observations were; the descriptions dead on the more Akane hung out with love sick boys and jealous rich girls. Akane had long known of Kyouya's intelligence, but this struck the nail into the board. Her anxiety grew throughout the day, knowing she would face Kyouya and his one question soon.

Waiting on the hosts was the same, the twins finding delight on ordering new tea cups every five minutes. Akane and Haruhi smiled at each other with more understanding, since Tamaki and Kyouya (mostly Tamaki) had scolded her millions of times that revealing such a secret would be the death penalty. In order to keep all the deals she had, Akane was convinced she needed her head for such occasions.

With a relieving sigh, Akane plopped herself down onto the same seat she had sat in months ago when she had first spoken to the Shadow King. He sat behind her, meticulously typing away on his laptop. It was a strange occurrence that they suddenly were not complete mortal enemies just because of one deal, though Akane felt like she could do **a lot** more ranting if he would allow it. She hadn't really set a limit, so maybe he'd understand. Just to be nice, Akane considered dropping in the little bit about how Hiroshi-kun said he was moving to America, but really his family was losing money to his mother's gambling addiction and they were forced to sell all their stocks. Yep, Kyouya would like that one.

"If you've come to tip me off on the Hiroshi family's demise, I thank you for being so considerate," Kyouya spoke, interrupting her thoughts. His complacent smile ticked off Akane, frustrated about his mind reading abilities once again.

"If I admit that you're God, do I have to go heaven?" Akane retorted, pulling her silky straight blonde hair into a ponytail. Though her grandmother had ordered to always wear her hair down unless it was absolutely necessary, she felt that lashing out for a moment, even if it made no difference.

"We'll see," Kyouya answered, gently closing his computer screen shut. Adjusting his glasses with a lithe index finger, he smiled sweetly towards Akane, whose face contorted in surprise and deathly fear. "How would you like to go to Tokyo this Saturday?"

"Depends if I'll return alive or not," Akane managed to choke out, still gaping at Kyouya's viciously gentle smile. Composing her face, she examined the prospect. _No major parties this Saturday, of course he already knew that. Grandmother would most definitely approve, though Tamaki would be freakishly worried and weirded out, but we could probably keep him out the loop. I don't want to confuse him anymore than I already do. _

"I have already been approved by the chairwoman and Tamaki believes you're going shopping with some girls on Saturday," Kyouya answered nonchalantly, getting out his date book to pen something in.

"You should really become one of those pet psychics. You'd make a ton of money," Akane replied, attempting to keep her composure_. How did this guy know freaking everything???_

"I don't know everything, just the important information," Kyouya retorted, "Oh, and by the way, you're indebted to me for arranging our meeting."

"Excuse me? You agreed that our deal was even and fair. I owe you nothing more than what we agreed on, bub," Akane sneered, outraged that Ootori would request such a thing. If he had wanted more, he should've haggled for it when they were making a deal.

"You'll see soon enough," Kyouya answered, a tricksy glint catching Akane off guard. He definitely knew something she didn't and nothing could irk her more than that. Before she could interrogate him though, the afternoon chimes rang as 4:00 fell upon Ouran. "I will see you Saturday then, Akane-san," Ootori stated chivalrously, bowing slightly before packing up his laptop and nonchalantly exiting the club.

Throwing off her frilly work apron, she gave a cursory wave to Tamaki and followed on Kyouya's heels. Exiting the large doors, she found him swiftly turning the corner. With vicious steps, she raced after him, holding a graceful walk incase anyone else was watching. As she rounded the corner, a familiar figure stepped out from the side and smiled dreamily at Akane.

_Aw shit_, Akane thought, as she watched Kyouya escape down the hallway, throwing a careless wave in her direction.

"Akane, I was just looking for you!" Kenjiro greeted, waving gaily at her though he stood barely a foot away.

"Ah, Kenjiro-kun, didn't think I'd run into you here," Akane smiled, attempting to keep any disappointment out of her tone, though he probably wouldn't have noticed anyway. His stupid, moronic grin remained plastered on his face, just an eyesore for Akane to look at.

"I was actually wondering if you'd like to hang out this Saturday," Kenjiro suggested smoothly, leaning coolly against the wall, hands shoved into his pockets. He smiled eagerly, believing he had finally secured a date with Ouran's most sought after girl.

"Saturday? This Saturday?" She inquired, then suddenly gasped. _Kyouya…_

"Yes, is there something wrong with this Saturday?" Kenjiro inquired, sudden concern for his plans flooding through his thick skull.

"Sorry," Akane replied, forcing back the smile she was desperately scrambling to keep hidden. "I have plans this Saturday, and it's kind of an all day thing. Maybe some other time?"

"I'll hold you to that," He recovered smoothly, not one flinch in his pride. He was probably to dense to realize he had just been rejected.

"Yeah, well, see you later, Kenjiro-kun," Akane smiled, hustling off down the hall while feeling her classmate's eye burning into her back. Shaking off his lustful eyes as she rounded the corner, she decided she'd wait until Saturday thank (and by thank she meant get angry) at Kyouya for his expert planning. Releasing she still had a good twenty minutes before Tamaki would actually leave the Host Club, she stealth-fully scanned the hallway for any wandering students. Rounding another hallway, she came to her familiar door and with a quiet shut behind her, she leapt up the stairs to her haven.

* * *

"Merci, Gilbert-san," Akane smiled as one of her grandmother's servants opened the door for her. Even if she dreaded coming to this torture chamber every week, she refused to be in a horrible mood all the time. Besides, Gilbert knew a little bit of French, having come over from Belgium to work for her Sensei (why, she'd never know). He was a rather tall man, with warm brown eyes and a shaven head, and though it seldom appeared to human eyes, she enjoyed his hearty rare smile, even if half of his teeth were solid gold. With expert grace and poise, Akane strode into the salon where her grandmother sat contently sipping her tea. Akane practiced senses immediately recognized it as Jasmine, her grandmother's favorite as well as Akane's least.

"I would like to remind you that when you enter my house, you are to speak only Japanese," The chairwoman commented coldly, not bothering to give her student even a greeting. Akane was more than used to such abuse, almost enjoying her grandmother's nastiness towards her.

"Yes, Sensei," Akane replied, her tone perfectly even and respectable. Seating herself down, she forced herself to smooth out the wrinkles in her hideous yellow dress, breathing in the stifling silence that followed. Without even a clink of china, the chairwoman set down her cup and daintily wiped her mouth.

"Now, down to business," Sensei answered, motioning for her servant to bring something forward.

Gilbert swiftly placed an oversized binder forward, multi-colored tabs bursting from the side. "I would've liked you to have this earlier, but no matter. From now on, this is your greatest tool."

She motioned for Akane to pick it up and the girl gently settled in on her lap. Easily opening the cover, pictures of young men stared gaily at her, nearly causing her to scream in surprise. She gazed back at the pictures, one of the boys she recognized as the boy who never talked in her biology class. Flipping the page, more smiling visages burst out at her, some recognizable, some she had never even seen. Next to every picture was a name, date of birth, hobbies and interests, blood types, and just about every other personal amount of information known to man.

"This book contains every heir at Ouran and the surrounding vicinity that you may encounter. One of these men will be your future husband, even if circumstances change. Please pay attention, as I will only say things once," Sensei stated, her frail, vein-covered hands resting placidly in her lap. Akane nodded, urging her to continue. "They are organized by the size of the business they will inherit. The top notch corporations are in the very back."

Without second though Akane flipped to the back page, looking nervously to the very last picture, only to find a pair of familiar clueless eyes stared fervently back at her. Inwardly groaning, she knew it was no surprise that once again, Kenjiro Nonaka refused to leave her alone. She glanced back a page, finding pictures of some of the host, Kyouya's face situated the closest to the back. _Of course…_ She groaned, glancing again to Kenjiro's picture. Noticing something slightly peculiar, she raised her voice to question.

"Sensei, may I inquire as to why there is a green check next to Kenjiro-san's profile?" Akane asked, glancing curiously around at the other pictures to find a similar mark.

"You should be grateful, for now you no longer have to choose from the book," The chairwoman replied, an unseen grin dancing around her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Akane questioned, not fathoming at the moment what she had said.

"As of yesterday, you are now engaged to Kenjiro Nonaka, heir to the Nonaka Corporation. You should be quite pleased with yourself, I couldn't have picked a better match," Her grandmother replied monotone, not allowing the happy emotions inside of her to be audible or visible.

Akane rocketed up to stand, the binder clattering to the finely polished floor. Her grandmother merely glanced up, no sign of intimidation on her face.

"You c-can't," Akane replied, her voice quaking in uncertainty.

"Of course I can. You agreed to it the day I flew you over,"

"I ref-"

"I would twice about those words Akane. Do you want to go to jail? Would you enjoy watching as the company that supports both your brother and mother collapse and throw them onto the streets where they belong? Would you be so selfish to let your family suffer to satisfy your own childish needs? Really, Akane, but what could I expect from such a dirty child," The chairwoman stated, as if every question was absolute and undeniable truth.

Akane stood frozen, without will to reply or cry out in defiance. Snatching up her coat, Akane bowed hastily and bolted to the door, hiding her face where the dark mascara began to stain her cheeks.

"Oh and Akane," Her grandmother demanded as the girl place her hand on the door knob, "You are no longer allowed to accompany Ootori-san on Saturday, or any other day for that matter. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sensei," Akane forced out, throwing open the door and racing out, unable to stop the burning tears that tore into her cheeks.

"Gilbert, shut the door if you please. There is an unpleasant draft coming in," The chairwoman commanded, sipping lightly on her Jasmine tea.

* * *

The sky was slipping into an elegant darkness as Akane's limo pulled up to the 2nd mansion, Tamaki running hurriedly down the stairs as he heard the engine killed. In vain attempts he had tried to contact Akane all night, but every time found her phone shut off. Throwing open the mansion door, he gazed as his sister stepped out of the car, not even waiting for the chauffer to open it for her. Her golden hair veiled her face, while she tossed in each step as she slowly ascended the stairs.

"Akane! What's wrong, are you okay?" Tamaki questioned hurriedly, running to her.

A frigid breeze peeled wet hair from her face, her eyes red and bleeding with mascara. Tamaki gaped as her lip quiver as she attempted to fight back pain, but her walls had already been shot down and she collapsed into his arms, both siblings falling to their knees out side the door.

* * *

This one is shorter than the last one 8O!! Anyway, sorry I haven't updated in awhile. And because I know you all care so much about my personal life *snort* let's just say I'm a lazy kid and school is requiring me to actually study.

Oh well, anyway, for those of you who actually called what was going to happen in this chapter, I curse you and your amazing plot reading skills...BUT I almost threw in the surprise that comes in the next chapter, WHICH by the way, is even CRAZIER than this one (I 3 capslock). Anyway, you can guess if you want, but you know the only way you'll actually find out is if you review....or story alert... or for those of you who are overachivers and have already done both.... review...AGAIN!

:D Thanks for all the wonderful motivation guys!


	12. What it Means to Stand

**Chapter 12**

**What It Means to Stand**

**

* * *

(Be wary of cussing)  
**

_For the rest of the day and into the late night, Akane shifted her fingers up and down the bow, only to hear it drop to the floor once she began sprinting too quickly. How was she supposed to beat that speed demon kid if she kept dropping her bow? Flinging herself onto her bed, she held the bow high above her face, the dark wood contrasting her off white ceiling. Holding the frog (base) of the bow, she slowly moved her fingers up, attempting to mimic the spider leg like pattern Paul had used. Keeping a constant pace, she finally reached the bottom without the bow falling out of her hands. Smiling contently, she did it once more, this time increasing the speed a little bit. _

_Before she knew it, dawn had broken through her open windows, though she couldn't feel the breeze underneath her feather comforter. Grinning ecstatically, she saw her mom had put her to bed once she had dozed off, tenderly placing the bow on her bed table and loosening it so the bow hairs would not stretch. It was still early, for the sun was just peaking out from the nestled blanket of Paris skyline. Absentmindedly, Akane twiddled the bow between her fingers, letting them slide up and down. Out of habit, her fingers began to mimic the crawling pattern, effortlessly gliding up and down the bow, barely touching the wood. _

"_Holy shnikes…" Akane leapt onto her bed, starring agape at her bow. Checking to make sure it wasn't a dream, she repeated the motion over and over again, her graceful fingers dancing over the wood. No one ever expects to become better over night, but somehow the violin gods had smiled on her for this one instance, and she quietly thanked them as she hastily dressed and leapt out the door. _

_*--*--*  
_

"_You begin on my mark," Leonce commanded, eyes shifting warily to each of the competitors. Paul stood smug in his ready position, believing this to be another cocky amateur. Akane paid to no attention to the confidence of her adversary though, only concentrating on her fingers which rolled over and over on the bow._

"_Go!"_

_Both hands shot off like lightning, the intricate steps flying across the bow. Paul knew he was on today, heavy confidence in his ability and training and letting his practice guide him. Triumphantly, he reached the bottom and let his gaze quickly slide to Leonce for immediate approval. But the teacher's wide, bulging eyes had manifested themselves from beneath his shaggy hair to stare wildly at Akane. _

"_Akane won…Who would've though it," Leonce gaped, while Akane's face instantly swept into unadulterated joy, jumping into the air with a triumphant 'YES!' . Paul stared with equal shock covering his face, acting as if a bomb had exploded in his head and his brain had died due to the stood from his chair, resting a colossal hand upon Akane's shoulder.  
_

"_Well, Mademoiselle Grantaine, shall we begin then?" Leonce finally smiled._

_Over the next few months, Akane devoted her entire self to Leonce's violin training hell. Before school, during the lunch break, after school, and into the night Akane worked without fail, learning more in one day than she had in nearly a year. Paul trained beside her, since Paul had been Leonce's first disciple. After Akane had coerced the boy to fess up (only after beating him in a 'who can hold the tremolo the longest' contest) he had confessed that he lived one floor above this. The boy had slowly warmed up to her, but wanting her to understand more about him, they snuck off to his apartment, where Akane met all of his family. They played for hours with his baby sister and strolled through the hallway, where Paul introduced Akane to nearly every resident in the entire building. Never in her life had Akane felt such a strong embrace of community as this one. Not one person pointed or judged her behind her back. Instead, the neighbors welcomed her as if she was their daughter, sister, granddaughter, or their closest friend. And Akane loved them back, not realizing she had filled the gaping hole in her chest where Tamaki's blow had wounded her. _

_Leonce Boudreaux was a different story altogether though. His history she fought long and hard for. Paul had been sworn to secrecy early on, and there remained only one way to achieve the answer. _

"_Play me Paganini No. 4. It was must flawless, enough to bring someone to tears," Leone demanded, sipping lightly on a mug of cold coffee. Rifling through his hodgepodge piles of sheet music, he retrieved the piece, flung it at Akane like a Frisbee and added, "Otherwise, Paul and I will only address you as Tenderfoot for as long as you study here."_

_Akane, being the stubborn idiot she was, accepted, remembering how she had passed the last bet with flying colors. It took her two months of intense training to nail the piece. She practiced nothing but the one concerto and engraved every note into her mind until her fingers bled. Her fingers morphed into lithe and long tools, rough calluses covering her fingertips without yield. Her mom began walking around the house with cotton balls in her ears so she didn't have to hear the same song every night. At 3:49 am, Akane smiled to the heavens, and fell onto her bed, her fingertips numb and lifeless from the practice, though they knew they had finally and indisputably mastered it.

* * *

_

The chairwoman sent escorts for Akane the next morning, stealing any chance form her to call for a sick day. She was helplessly prepared elaborately that day, make up and hair taking nearly two hours. Normally, she tried to joke with the stylist in order to get her to lighten the make up, or leave a few strands of curls, but this morning was different. She sat in perfect silence, refusing to answer anything that involved more than one word. Nothing disturbed her poised state, and her normally bursting sea green eyes appeared limp, an feature no amount of highlight or eyeliner could remedy. Akane watched as her hair was straightened as flat as a dictionary page and laced with a white ribbon. Akane had never allowed any such ornament to fall onto her hair, but without argument, she strolled off as soon as it was tied in place.

School was hell. Utter hell. Of course, everyone had learned of the engagement over the weekend, and if they hadn't, the startlingly gorgeous diamond ring she wore on her finger gave them just a bit of an intimation. Though everyone thought she didn't notice as they gestured at her while she wasn't looking, and even if Akane saw, her face remained frozen, only offering small, negligible smiles that were quickly tossed aside.

"Akane! How does it feel? I mean is it weird or exciting or both? I've never been engaged, but this one friend of mine, Emiko, she said that…" Girls drabbled on and on to Kenjiro's new fiancée, never actually caring to hear her reply. Chances were she wouldn't have given one anyway. Every girl in the girl wanted to know three and only three things; how much the ring cost, when the couple would be married, and would they be first on the guest list. Nearly every male student cried and wept in silence when she walked by and Akane envied them for being able to lament so publicly.

Orchestra arrived too fast for words to describe and Kenjiro gleamed proudly as Akane slipped into the room. Attempting to live up to his new title, he chivalrously pulled her chair out for her and sat her down tenderly. Akane offered no reaction to this gesture and began monotonously unpacking her things.

"How are you, Honey?" Kenjiro asked sweetly, causing nearly every girl in the room to instantaneously swoon at the cuteness.

"Fine," Akane replied, her voice monotone and completely unreadable. Her soft white cloth wiped the already glistening wood of the violin.

"I feel fantastic today, though I didn't get any sleep last night. I couldn't stop thinking about you, walking down the aisle in white dress," Kenjiro smiled, his voice mellifluous to every pair of ears, except hers. To Akane, his voice was the equivalent of nails on a fresh chalkboard.

"Good to know," She answered, her voice lifeless and limp. Her fiancé continued attempting to sweet talk her, smothering her in compliments and enticing her with the beautiful future that awaited them. Akane left every word for dead though, immersing herself in her violin. At one point, just as the song fell, as if the swan in the piece was dying, Kashkoi-sensei stole a glance at Akane, and let the depth of his eyes, how truly sorry he was show manifest itself to her. Akane eyes gazed unwavering at his, seeming to reply that she understood, but no amount of pity would fix anything. The conductor nodded in reply, and let his baton sink, as the swan slowly, gently died on the lake's skin.

The bell rang just as the silence of the piece ended, and Akane swiftly stowed her things away and stood to her feet. Without warning, Kenjiro's strong hand caught hers, and held her back. "I have a request Akane," He said, making sure to ward off any eavesdroppers with his protective glare.

"I don't care," Akane answered, attempting to shake his hand off without bothering to glance back at him.

"It's from your grandmother."

* * *

Donned in angel wings and flowing white robe, Tamaki floated around the room, marveling at his own beauty. Mori tossed Honey into the air, letting the tiny senior fly through the pink room with Usa-chan. The twins poked Haruhi incessantly, the young girl trying to ward them off with her unattached wings. Kyouya sat at the side of the room, calculating the day's taxes with mindless ease. He had been one of the first to know of the engagement, having the chairwoman's secretary personally call him to inform him that Akane would be absent from their previous meeting. At the moment, he had no idea what he was feeling. Every time the mere thought of that idiot Kenjiro and Akane even looking at each other, he was seizeded by an ebbing pain, like a guilt that wouldn't easily dissapate. And even worse, he had absolutely no idea why.

Akane skulked into the room, her footsteps silent and svelte, though everyone instantly turned their heads to her.

"Hmm, Akane-chan? You're early today," Tamaki commented, running up to his sister questioningly.

"Aka-chan! Look, I can fly!" Honey-kun called as he sailed towards her, Akane barely catching him safely in her arms. She offered him a weak smile, causing the young boy's visage to slowly fade to concern. "Aka-chan? What's wrong?"

"I have an announcement to make," Akane stated, setting Honey in Mori's awaiting arms. Kyouya slipped into the group, pushing his glasses nonchalantly to their correct spot. On the inside though, his mind was twisting and hyperventilating. What was going on? Surely she was aware they all knew her situation? No, this was something else. Something worse.

"In order to properly prepare myself for my marriage, I will no longer be serving this Host Club. I have very much enjoyed working with all of you and hope to remain friends with you," She announced, voice quivering slightly as the last few words lingered out.

Everyone stood in awe momentarily, unsure of how to reply.

"You're kidding, right, Akane-chan?" Haruhi finally spoke, staring desperately at her only source of sanity during the trials of the Host Club. Akane could only shake her head in reply, her golden locks swishing back and forth.

"This is bullshit," Hikaru piped up, pointing accusingly at her.

"Yeah, Akane. You don't even want to marry this guy, right?" Kaoru joined in, still not accepting Akane's words. It was rare for the hosts to accept someone else into their family, and Akane had unfortunately fit right in, whether she enjoyed it or not. Tearing out one member was equal to ripping off an arm or a leg from one body, and no one was willing to let such a tragedy slide.

"I must do what will most benefit the Suou family as well as myself," She replied simply, eyes straightforward and bleak to the world around her. Her voice didn't seem to belong to her, but only consisted of pre-recorded phrases and answers. Eyes rounding to every host, she paused momentarily on Kyouya, his face more unreadable than hers. Really? The man who knew everything had absolutely nothing to say to her. Fine, she didn't want to hear it anyway.

"No, don't leave us, Aka-chan," Honey pleaded, hugging tightly around her waist. She couldn't bare to gaze down into his chocolate brown eyes and instead gently removed his tiny, strong hands from her midsection. She patted him tenderly on the head, trying her best not to gaze at the blonde boy, tears welling up into his eyes.

"Thank you, everyone," Akane bowed swiftly and shut the door behind her, a limp maid's apron left folded neatly on the floor where she had stood.

"Tamaki, bring her back! Tell her to screw the marriage thing and come back here," Hikaru demanded, the rest of the hosts nodding in reply.

Their king remained frozen, his face pale and flushed of color.

"I can't. She doesn't have a choice at the moment. I don't want to make things anymore painful for her than they already are," He answered, turning his crystal blue eyes to them, the irises filled with wisdom beyond their years that hid within their depths.

Disregarding Tamaki's words, Kyouya walked gallantly to the door and quickly exited, ignoring Tamaki's plea to come back. The third son made sure the door was shut tight behind him and hurried down the hall, following the clicks of Akane's expensive heels. The sound ceased sooner than expected, and Kyouya's mind visualized the school and narrowed her location to a few locations.

After checking every private spot or haven he could find, Kyouya hustled to the last location she would go. He peered through the open glass windows into the vast music room, a grand piano greeting his vision. His careful onyx eyes hurriedly scanned the room, narrowing in on a lone figure, violin in hand. With silence a mouse would envy, he slipped into the room and stood inaudibly in a corner.

Akane's eyes were crushed shut, refusing to open even the slightest. Bittersweet notes poured like tears of heaven from the strings, tossing the girl back and forth in their wake. Her fingers shook, whether from expert control or from raw emotion, with flawless timing and perfect intonation. As the bow pressure faded, her arm jerked suddenly and the bow leapt from the strings. Over and over it crossed and paused and flew and sank. Notes poured out with intensity and strength and as her pace increased, joyful noise jumped onto the echoing walls. Though the sound was brilliant, there was a distinct sadness to them, as if it held the notes back in place. She slowed again, continuing to dive into sections faster and harder, energy bursting from her fingertips.

Suddenly, the thinnest string snapped, though Akane didn't even flinch. Her fingers, without hesitation, slid up on the fingerboard, dashing to make up for the last string. Double stops burst from her violin, her bow pressing deeper onto the strings, until the next string snapped. Dodging, her bow danced across the last two remaining, until she forced the next one to break as well. Left with but one string, she furiously shifted and jumped and played until the piece was finished and her bow clattered to the floor.

Slowly, her eyes creaked open and seized Kyouya's.

"What the hell do you want?" She snapped, throwing what was left of the violin into her case. The boy stalked closer, eyes catching the absence of music on her stand. Her stance remained solid and defiant, attempting to push him away with her glare. Chest heaving up and down after playing, her voice easily cracked with her outburst.

"What was that piece?" He requested calmly, as if Akane hadn't just screamed her guts out at him.

"Don't screw with me, Kyouya."

"Was it Mendelssohn? Brahms? Paganini?" He questioned, still composed and nonchalant.

"Look, I don't know what you want, but please, just leave me alone," She pleaded, venom stinging her every word. Snapping her case shut, she rapidly strode away, only to feel a firm hand seize hers.

"I want my one question," He spoke, pulling her to face him completely. His onyx eyes bored into her, searching for answers within the troubled sea green.

"Paganini number 4, now leave," Akane retorted, throwing her grip away from his. His hand held like a vice on hers, refusing to let her go. She pulled again, desperately fighting the inevitable situation.

"Let me go, Ootori! God you bastard!" His grip didn't loosen for one second, unseen powerful muscles holding her unwilling hand in place. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"Is that true?" He replied, his tranquil tone boiling Akane's already adrenaline filled blood.

"God, why do you have to act like you know everything! You still don't know shit about me, even if you think you do!" Akane screamed at him; face inches away from his in fury. Like a fitting child, she thrashed her arm round, about to kick him to pull away. Her free hand curled into a fist and crushed his side, Kyouya barely flinching as it punctured him.

"Please…please just leave me alone. I just want to be alone. Please..."

"Mr. Ootori, would you kindly let go of Ms. Suou!" Mr. Kashikoi commanded, a deathly hand on the boys shoulder. Reluctant and stunned, Kyouya relinquished her delicate hand, instantly missing the feel of her racing pulse beneath his fingertips. "Now, since this room is for orchestra students only, I would highly advise you leave."

The short conductor stood more menacing than ever, pointing the heir in the direction of the door. Without choice, Kyouya strode to the door bowing to the two before leaving. Akane caught a glimpse of Kyouya she knew all to well, and she couldn't deny that he would be back again. Though she doubted her kindly teacher would be present to sweep in to save her.

"Akane-san, are you okay?" The old man asked, expression releasing a ludicrous amount of sorrow for the girl.

"Thank you, Kashikoi…-sensei," She replied, gratitude flowing onto her face. After a quick bow, Akane hurriedly packed up her things, avoiding his kind face at all costs.

"I know it may be out of place for me to speak, but would you mind listening to a old, wise man's ranting?" He spoke, tucking his wrinkling fingers behind his back. Akane continued cleaning as if the man hadn't spoken, though she heard every word.

"It is better to die standing than to live on your knees," Kashikoi said, eyes reminiscent of his words meanings. Turning to face his student, his mouth pursed into a serious thin line. "No mask is worth keeping on, Akane. I don't know your circumstances, but life is too short to let others tell you how to live yours."

Taking a seat beside her, he sighed happily, lost within the padded walls of his mind.

"I went to a school similar to Ouran when I was your age. My father owned a large electricity company, and I was the eldest son, destined to continue the business. But I couldn't," He paused, smiling contently for a moment. Akane glanced over, confused at the man's words. "I had never been meant for the cruel, cold business world. My heart had always belonged to the music. All my life, people had expected me to play the role of my father, but in the end I found myself not knowing the lines."

"What happened?" Akane questioned suddenly, defiant eyes desperate for answers. The music director grinned warmly, the gentle wrinkles of his time worn face welcoming her question.

"I took a gamble. I abandoned everything I had ever known to pursue the music. With little money that my parents provided me with out of pity, I struggled to the top. It was the hardest thing I ever did, and because of it I shall die a thankful man with no regrets. Akane, don't let the past limit your future. I see so much talent and rebellion within you, more than these weary eyes are able to bear. It would truly be a waste to loose a gift such as yours to the void that swallows nearly everyone else here."

Akane's face remained frozen, unable to answer the man. Grabbing her case, she listlessly walked out of the room, leaving a smiling teacher in her wake.

* * *

"_You sure you're ready, Tenderfoot?"_

"_Hey, I haven't lost yet!" Akane scolded Leonce, sticking her tongue out playfully at her mentor. _

_Free of any disinclination, she began her task, and played Paganini as if it were her dying wish. She floated and soared, and Leonce could only gaze in awe. In truth, the first time he saw her play the concerto, he saw her talent. Every aspect that involved none to little technique was flawless, and now that he had barely taught her the basic skills, she had shattered his every expectation and pushed them to the stars. As she finished and bowed, Leonce gladly stood and applauded, holding back a single tear in his eyes. _

"_Bravo! Tres belle (beautiful)!" He clapped, though Akane merely smirked at him. Sighing at his thoughtless bet, Leonce led his student to the kitchen, pouring them some of his favorite Chai tea._

_**---**  
_

"_You played in the London Symphony?" Akane reiterated his answered, gaping at the grizzly man's achievement. _

"_Second chair for a few seasons as well. Never quite made it to first. Anyway, I decided I had enough of the high brow snoots who play and decided to continue my legacy. You and Paul better become world famous, or my ghost will haunt you forever," Leonce joked, stretching his gangly arms across the tables towards a laughing Akane. _

"_Why'd you make your past so mysterious sounding? I thought maybe you were Beethoven's great-great grandson or something," Akane asked, still chortling at his explanation. _

"_To give you incentive," Leonce smiled, wriggling his devious eyebrows._

"_You old coot," Akane prodded, throwing a sugar cube at him. _

_As Leonce grabbed ammo to retaliate, Paul burst into the apartment. Panting and out of breath, the boy stumbled across the threshold to his companions. _

"_Paul, what's going on?" Leonce questioned, his visage taken my the seriousness of the situation. _

"_It-it's all o-o-over," He managed to squeak out._

"_What are you talking about?" Akane inquired, her snapping tone not allowing Paul to catch his breath._

"_There tearing this building down, the whole thing," He answered, eyes beginning to burst into hot tears. Paul grasped Akane, Leonce having to sit down in shock. Their home, their family, their lessons, would all disappear. Nearly everyone living here had little to no money, and nowhere to go if their home was taken away. _

_Akane smoothed her hand over Paul's brown locks, her mind racing for answers. She had just repaired her heart, just found solace in this refuge. And she sure as hell wasn't going to let it get taken away.

* * *

_

More snow trapped the dead grass every day, winter flourishing in the gray skies above. Only two days remained until the Winter Concert, and the end of the semester. Akane's training made her want to jab herself with needles, but Sensei said they'd ruin her skin. Men don't like scarred women anyway. Akane dreaded tomorrow, for Kenjiro was hosting his birthday party, one of the largest social events of the year. It went without saying that Akane would be his escort for the entirety of the night, and she couldn't imagine a worse fate.

"Suou-san, there is a letter for you," Shima greeted, walking coldly into the room. Handing the girl her letter, she exited quickly at Akane's request. Akane barely allowed Tamaki to see her anymore; knowing even the smallest glimpse of sunshine was too much for her weary soul. Tearing open the note, she saw her grandmother had already read it herself, though the note had been resealed to perfection. In delicate cursive, three words boggled her mind, and would change her life more than she knew.

_Watch the sky._

* * *

**Hey guys, as always, thanks a bunch for reviews and favs and the like. I love how there's an army of grandmother-haters. I support you one thousand and ten percent and may even write an alternative ending where the Sensei gets thrown into a volcano. Or shark pit. Or nuclear warhead. Maybe all three. **

**Also, ****the plot thickens! Now you guys got the past so we can focus on the future, (and smacking Kenjiro in the face with a frying pan( i'm actually considering writing that in, who knows?)) New chapter should be up soon, along with _THE TURNING POINT OF THE STORY!_ So review and reply, or else I'll probably write at the speed of a dead snail. ^^**

_

* * *

_


	13. The Death of a Brother

**Chapter 13**

**The Death of a Brother  
**

* * *

_Songs:_

_Hurt – Nine Inch Nails (its nice and slow, not crazy like normal)_

_Falling Slowly (Piano Version) – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova_

----

Akane was a ghost, without soul or notion of being real and tangible. Though her golden hair glimmered against the chandelier light in an elaborately gorgeous up-do, there still remained a dull, listless shock in the depths of her eyes. But no one at the party bothered to gaze deeper than the surface and even if they did, the matter was nothing that concerned them.

Akane's red-pink floor-length was more horrible than the last. Sequins spattered everywhere while ribbon crossed over the front and back. There were no straps or dignity to the garment, the dress hugging her waist until it nearly became part of her skin. On her graceful neck lay a string of pink pearls, an early wedding gift Kenjiro had been so kind to send to her, along with her dreaded ring.

The party was basically every rich and powerful person who had sold their human souls long ago. Sure, they may have chortled heartily at Akane's little mindless small talk, but these people were shallow and cold, caring for no one but themselves. They didn't even bother to spare a glance at the waiters who served them like doting mothers. Business owners only talked to those who they could possibly profit from, no one else (except for the opposing company owner's wife, whom they had slept with on several occasions). There was no possible way Akane could handle these people everyday for the rest of her life and still keep her sanity, but she had to try.

As expected she had foreseen, she and Kenjiro were attached at the hip the entire time, her fiancé never once leaving her side. Every couple he introduced her to was lost in the mix of all the others. They were all just clones in her mind.

"Nonaka-kun," Akane began, seizing a tiny gap of silence as the business man they had just spoken to ran off. "I'll be back in a second, if you please. I have to use the ladies' room."

Kenjiro smiled obliviously at her, finding her littlest statements adorable. "Sure, buttercup. And by the way, you should really start calling me Kenjiro. Soon you'll be a Nonaka too."

Now Akane really did need to use the restroom. Gracefully excusing herself, she headed towards the nearest passageway, hoping to find some kind of restroom or private place to barf in peace. She didn't even notice as a pair of onyx eyes carefully followed her lithe form as she escaped to a hidden balcony.

Placing her over-lotioned soft hands on the cement ledge, Akane threw her head to stars. She had completely forgotten about the note until now, though an unknown force in the back of her mind had drawn her to this place. In front of her laid a fresh field of glistening stars, lighting the midnight black sky as no other sight could.

"Are you enjoying the view?" His smooth, carefree voice blew towards her like an ocean breeze, catching her completely off guard. She ignored any notion to flinch though, for her pride and what was left of her dignity held her in place.

"I was, but I guess you ruined that too," Akane retorted, glancing over to Kyouya's approaching figure. His lean figure was well outlined in a fashionable black suit with white tie, his raven hair falling effortlessly over his pale skin.

"Should I trap you now before you run again?" He asked seriously, moving slightly forward to the engaged beauty.

"I don't especially feel like running anymore, especially if I end up back in that hell," She answered, motioning to painful celebration she had been forced into. Truthfully, she wasn't surprised Kyouya was here, since Kenjiro had a strange disillusion that people, such as Kyouya, actually enjoyed the company people like her chump fiancée enough to be their real friend. Wrong.

"Good, because I'd like to pick up where we left off. You promised to uphold your end of the bargain, so I assume you possess enough decency to actually answer my question this time," Kyouya replied nonchalantly, strolling to a spot next to Akane on the balcony.

Akane felt no pungent sting in his words, though she wished she had. _I'm such a masochist._ She thought absentmindedly.

"Ask away and as promised, I will answer wholly and truthfully," Akane sighed, hoping to get this ordeal over with quickly (though she also had no intention of returning to the party anytime soon.)

Turning to face her completely, his grey eyes emphasized the solemnity of his question.

"Akane-san, will you please give me an answer that will allow me to understand you as no one else does?" Kyouya asked, his one question strongly thrust into the night air.

Barely breathing, Akane face contorted into defiant understanding. Nothing less could've been expected of Kyouya Ootori.

"I have sinned, and my sin is a crime that I shall never forgive myself for, nor should anyone else," Akane began, her heart already aching as her past fervently seized her.

* * *

_For days straight Akane stared at the document before her, desperately looking for a hole in the vicious words. It was the notice to demolish the old building and she wished crumpling it angrily would solve the problem. Her tired eyes searched in fruitless strokes, desperately groping for anyway to save the people who adopted her as though she shared the same blood. _

_She had offered the idea that Leonce, Paul, and she could become a touring violinist group to raise money, though Akane could never leave her mother. Even if Akane donated all the money she had earned from playing on the streets, the profits were nowhere close to needed amount to save the building. _

_Her weary eyes stumbled across a small line in the middle, causing them to widen in excitement. Hands shaking in shock, she had finally discovered her answer. _

_**If said establishment will be destroyed until after inspecting that living codes and building standards are met, and if not said problems will be revised and fixed. If conditions are found to be beyond repair, reconsideration of the project will ensue. If changes are found unsuitable, measures will be taken to ensure homing for all residents. **_

_It was so perfect! It was all there, right in front of her. Yet, everything in the building was up to standard, since the standards and conditions no longer existed and was on the verge of indecency. If Akane was to use this, something drastic would have to be done, something that would be irrefutably unsuitable. _

_Burn it. _

"_No, that'd never work," Akane mulled to herself, the thought bouncing in the walls of her mind. In her head, she clearly envisioned crying faces of every resident, forced out of the only home they had ever known. She gazed at Leonce, who's only possession was his violin, nothing else to him but his name. _

_She couldn't allow that to happen. They were her family, and she needed them. Thus she began her plans._

_The last resident set their key on the table, staring woefully towards the worn metal. It was almost as if a part of them was being left behind, washed away forever. For one last night, every resident who had nowhere else to go decided to spend time with each other, to reminisce and wave goodbye to their fond memories. _

"_Paul! Let's go!" Leonce called, already a merry look masking his dying memories. _

"_I'll come in sec, I think I'll take a walk and meet you at the pub," The young boy replied, his teacher patting him tenderly on the head and agreeing before running of to the rest of the pack. Paul began whistling a merry tune, and grabbing one of the keys, he entered his home for the last time. _

_Dusk crept upon the silent street, a skulking figure stealthily creeping to the abandoned building. In her hand lay matches and gasoline, squeezed tightly with purpose well known. Stepping onto the shopworn doorstep, she whispered her final goodbye, not noticing how the door was left slightly ajar. _

_She stepped back and kicked in the door with her foot, finding it sliding open with easy force. With hesitant arms, she poured the gasoline onto the wooden foyer until it lay slick and coated. Backing up from the tired floor and staircase, she carefully lit a match, watching the single, innocent flame burn meekly. Turning her eyes from her almost home, she dropped the match to the floor, and flames instantly burst into the room. Haunting, dancing light blurred her vision, tears from either the smoke or the pain pushing through to her eyes. She left the door open for oxygen and let nature run its course. _

_From across the street, she forced herself to gaze as the flames crept to the second story. Everyone and everything had already been moved out, and the inspection and any changes had already been accomplished. Nothing would be lost except for the ancient memorial to her days of happiness. The sun disappeared quicker than expected and smoke so thick you could stroke it began to rise in tendrils from the rooftop. Akane decided it was time to leave such a horrible scene, though her ears suddenly caught a cry. Turning back to the window, Paul's familiar face broke out against the deathly orange glow. _

"_Paul! Oh my fucking god!" Akane sprinted across the street to the doorstep, roaring flames instantly shooting out at her. They singed against her clothes, hissing at her to leave them be._

_Next to the building stood an abandoned pay phone that no one had ever used, since it had broken some time ago. Praying to the god she had just cursed, she snatched the phone and dialed the police._

"_Hello?"_

"_Help! Paul's trapped inside the building!"_

"_Calm down m'am! What building, where?"_

"_214 Rue D'Avingry! Hurry! Fire!"

* * *

_

Agonizing chills burst through Akane, crippling her speech. Catching herself against the harsh stone ledge, her knees wildly shook. Kyouya's firm hands appeared from nowhere, holding her quaking, and bare shoulders in vain. With tender strokes, he moved his hands on her frozen skin, attempting soothe the bumps that chilled her skin.

"You don't get it, you baka," Akane seethed at him, her eyes barely retaining the onslaught of burning tears that threatened to flood over her. She threw him away, surprising strength seizing her aching frame. Her throbbing, nervous hands clutched the stone perimeter of the roof, wanting the cement to shatter like glass under her shaking grip. Her head ached in blind agony, still unable to wholly control the overwhelming, painful memories that torched her head. Her eyes, clouded with frustration, maimed the cement below her with a gaze that could've silenced this building for the millennium. Loose strands of hair surrounded her face like a veil, lifeless golden pieces boxing her away from the rest of the world. Wrapping her arms around her thin frame, she attempted to hold in the seizing memories that threatened to explode from within her.

"Listen to this shit, because you wanted to know!"

Kyouya stood austerely beside her, his expression frozen and lifeless as a statue. A cold, winter wind swept through the rooftop, throwing Akane's golden mane into the air. She staggered to straighten her position, refusing to face anyone other than the sea of stars. It was an undeniable fact that if she even glanced at Ootori at this moment, the dam she'd built around her emotions would crumble to pieces. Those piercing onyx eyes had the power to bring even her strongest wall to its knees and Kyouya didn't even know it. And right now, her walls were damaged beyond repair.

* * *

_Wind whipped her frozen face, staring blankly to the building above. _

_Where were they? Why hadn't they come? Didn't they understand he could die in there?_

_Without second thought, Akane plunged into the sea of flames. The intense, sweltering flames coated her skin, smoke choking her dry throat. She raced up the familiar stairs, now covered in unrecognizable, swirling blanket of malice that relished in the dry wood. Decaying steps collapsed beneath her feet, trapping her into the house she had set ablaze. _

"_Paul! I'm coming!" She called out, violently thrusting her foot from the wood and crawling to her friend. His face appeared in the door way, an orange glow of death staining his dirtied face. They desperately reached for each other, Paul seizing Akane's torso for dear life. She felt his tired body tremble beneath her, Akane wrapping her arms around him to stop the shaking. _

_As if to mock the struggling pair, wood fell from the ceiling above them, embers torching Akane's bare skin. Paul violently coughed as the smog choked his lungs, unable to move. Picking him up onto her back, Akane sprinted down the hall, flames whipping her strained form. A beam collapsed before her, the girl barely reacting in time to step away. Seething flame's strangling heat scorched her, the smell of burning flesh staining the air. The beam danced with flames, engulfing the entire path. Behind Akane, the floor fell through and smoke forced itself down her throat. _

"_Hold on…Paul," She managed to choke out, the boy's hands painfully grinding into her scorched skin. Closing her eyes, she sprinted to the beam, scorned wood breaking beneath her. Inside her body, she left her ribs snap like twigs and without control she fell onto the other side. Instantly, flames welled up near her fallen form, leaping to burn her exposed stomach. She cried out in pain, like the call of a dying animal who cannot escape. Forcing herself from the floor, she stared at Paul's rolled up body that lay crumpled beside her. Akane attempted to extinguished the flames that stung her without remorse, searing her flesh until she constricted them within the confines of her shirt. She reached out to Paul, grasping his small arm in hers. _

"_Paul, C'mon. We have to get out," Akane reached down to scoop him from the floor, her shirt catching more flames as she went. She charged for the stairs, the sweltering, hell-like heat stripping her down every moment. Her feet reached the last flight of stairs in agonizing pain, the open door in plain sight. Forcing out the searing pain all over her body she descended the stairs, so close to safety she could taste the cool night air. _

_Without warning, her foot collapsed through stairs, Paul flying from her back halfway onto the staircase. The charred wood splintered against her, arms flailing to force her up._

"_Paul, Go! Get out NOW!" She screamed, terrified for her brother's life. Stumbling to his feet, the boy leaned heavily against the flaming rail. He struggled forward, now nearly at the end of the stairs. He would be safe, he would make it. With relief, Akane looked down to push herself out of the wood, a thunderous crack erupted through the building. From the ceiling above, another beam fell from the ceiling, hurtling onto Paul._

"_NO!" She screamed, her voice cracked with smoke. She writhed in her trap, unable to pull free from the wood. Tears scorched her face, searing with burns and dirt that scarred her face. She clawed furiously at the wood, crying out as the flames engulfed her. Wood cracked beneath her, and she threw herself out of the hole, instantly scrambling to Paul. Beneath the heavy beam laid her partner, his eyes closed. His body was coated in grime and muck, Akane furiously shoving at the massive beam that trapped Paul. All was useless though, the titanic beam unwavering as it held down the boy. _

_Akane reached to his face, groping his face to stir him. His tired eyes flickered, never once opening to her screaming face. _

"_Paul! Please get up! PLEASE!" _

_His face remained stale though, frozen in a lifeless repose. Akane stared blankly, still shaking the boy as if he would wake to her calls. Her eyes could not tear away from his peaceful face, covered in burn and scrapes. The same face flashed before her eyes, his comforting, joyful expressions dancing across her mind. He had played the violin with passion she could not embody, he had offered her his family, and he had accepted her without question or judgment. _

"_Paul! PAUL!"_

_His laugh echoed through her head as she peeled her burnt hands from his statue like form. He had the sweetest, most honest laugh that had ever graced her ears, and now it was forever gone, because of her. Heavy water crawled from her eyes, dripping onto his sullen face, the rings around his tired eyes forcing them out. _

"_GOD DAMMIT! WAKE UP! PAUL, STOP! STOP!"_

_Beneath the hollow orange glow, blue and red flashing lights hit her face. The cops would arrest her, for killing him, for lighting the house. No, she was supposed to be dead, below that beam, not him. He was supposed to cry that she died saving him, but Paul, the humble angel, why was he there? Why was he dead? How could she sit here and let them tear her away, let them take her away from her crime. No, stop this fire, flames…burning killed Paul… he's dead…it's my fault… no I'm dead… can't stay… "PAUL!"_

_And blindly, she stumbled onto the street, just as billowing rain clouds shattered the sky.

* * *

_

She could barely stand, her body shaken by uncontrollable seizure-like movements. Chills racked her body, stinging and pinching all over her skin. Unwillingly, she threw down an arm to the balcony to steady herself. She despised the thought of Kyouya catching her right now, her mind a tormented vortex without end.

"Do you understand me now? I killed my own brother, and my atonement is living out the rest of my days as a useless housewife! I would've chosen prison, I would've rather died in that building, rather than being spoiled and living out my sentence here, in this god forsaken hell hole!" She spat, now desperately grasping the cement with both hands to restrain her barely containable rage and sorrow. The girl could feel the pain grabbing inside her, wildly thrashing to escape from the cage she was franticly forcing it in to.

"My life ended when Paul's did. I can never play music again without having him standing right fucking next to me, because Paul can never play again! I should've died instead of him!" Akane cried out, removing her numb hands from the wall and wrapping them around her chilled arms again, as if it would contain the scorching tears that burned her eyes. "I'm going to sleep and have children with that Kenjiro jackass! And I fucking deserve it! I deserve it all!"

She felt the raging emotions choke her, her vocal chords lost within the fire of her frustration. Next to her, she could hear Kyouya's solemn footsteps towards her. No! She didn't want him to see her cry, or to tell her everything was going to work out. Because she knew that wasn't true, and no matter how much she wanted to escape, she deserved every ounce of this agony. Kenjiro would always be waiting because of it, with damn lustful green eyes and his damn playboy hair , watching until they shoved her down the aisle and forced her to spill out the words she never wanted that idiotic jerk to hear. _"I do"_

Wheeling around, her crazed eyes shot into Kyouya, stopping him as if frozen.

"You wanted me to answer your question, right? Well here's my answer: I am a selfish bitch. I didn't even bother to ask what those people wanted! They were suffering, not me! They were the ones who would lose their home! And I killed one of them, all because I'm weak and stupid. I deserve to DIE!"

And as if it was imminent, tears exploded from her tortured eyes, splattering her expensive makeup as it cascaded down. Her hands raked against her head and face, digging to ease the suffering that stung her. Her golden hair toppled down, stained with tears and torn in her fingers. Kyouya could hold it in no longer, and he gave in. With arms wide open, he gathered Akane in and held her close, feeling her rapidly beating heart as it tossed in a sea of excruciation. She thrashed against him, hands clawing at him to release her.

He only held her tighter, pressing her closer the more she struggled. His figure was warm and welcoming, not judging or criticizing her ravenous laments. Her fists beat against him, unwilling to let him win.

"Stop trying to be strong, you don't have to prove that to me. You are not weak, Akane," He spoke, honest and without refrain. She constantly thrashed, attempting to free herself even against his words.

"Someone so weak could never speak as you did. Holding it in doesn't make you strong, spilling it out does," He continued, never loosening his grip for even a moment. Slowly, Akane's fists stopped, her form leaning against his for support, her tears staining him.

"I killed him, Kyouya. He'd be alive, he'd be smiling… if it wasn't for me. Why… Why?," She cried, pressing herself into his chest as if she could crawl inside and never escape.

"Akane, do you know why I told you to watch the sky?" Kyouya spoke plainly, placing a tender hand on her silken hair. She didn't reply, her tears still spilling out after holding them in for so long. "When I was young, my father sent me a telescope for one of my birthdays, promising to go with me and watch the stars. He never did. Instead, my sister made up for him and took me out of pity. Before I ever knew what a star really was, she told me that; perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. I never believed in childish, silly beliefs like that that is, until my mother died. And now, looking up at the stars has become the only solace I can offer myself."

He stroked her golden hair momentarily, feeling her rapid heartbeat against his. Her lungs convulsed, air violently thrown in and out.

"I can't stop you from blaming yourself, Akane. You alone make that choice. Maybe Paul would be alive if you two hadn't met, but you can't change that now. No matter what you do, he's still dead," Kyouya answered, Akane's arms still quivering at her sides. "You can keep crying that he's gone and you saw it happen, or you can smile that he lived and you knew him."

Akane's visage pulled from his shirt, hot tears still sliding down her graceful cheeks. Her tortured, sea-blue eyes stared at him, red with exhaustion. Her breathing was heavy, forcing tears out to pour over her cheeks.

"If you refuse to forgive yourself, there is no future. You should give up now if you can't do that."

"Kyouya, I can't do that, I can't," Akane managed to say, forcing her head down in weakness. "I no longer have a choice. I don't deserve to choose."

"Get a hold of yourself, Akane. It's not about what you deserve!" His voice suddenly rose, a strong fear never heard before. The mask of coolness that had forever remained upon his face had been torn off, this state of Kyouya naked before Akane. "You can't trap yourself; you don't belong in a cage. You can either continue to mourn and live in your past, or you can be happy for what you have done! Stop torturing and killing yourself! Live!"

Akane lungs froze, her head still bent against his chest. Her tender eyes rose to his, gaping at the passion that burned in those onyx orbs. Slowly, her shaking body was silenced, suddenly falling onto his steadfast figure.

"You always have a choice," Kyouya spoke, gently pressing his palm to her burning cheek. Compassion, honest and with prejudice poured out, forcing Akane to barely breathe. "Tamaki taught me a lesson about that one."

Lacking in any amount of control, more tears spilled out, though Akane's shaking grin shook them down her tear stained face. Throwing her arms around him, she buried her face into his shoulder, comforting warmth sweeping over her with unprecedented tenderness.

"I'll remember that, Kyouya," Akane replied, her body tingling as she felt his arms return the hug. As if time had paused, they held to each other, the soothing comfort pulling the two together by a hidden force. "Thank you, again."

"Akane? What's going on here?" A sudden interruption filled the air; Kenjiro's shocked face entering the balcony. Sauntering proudly to the pair, he completely ignored the fact the two were hugging extremely close and wiped a tear away form Akane's face.

"Are you okay, sugar baby? Have you been crying?" Kenjiro courted, trying to brush away the distorted makeup on her face.

To Kyouya's amusement, Akane smiled at this action, a devious twinkle in her eye. As Kenjiro licked his finger and reached to touch her, her hand swiftly slapped his away.

"Oh no, _sugar baby_, I'm fine. It's just been raining, _only_ on my face and no where else. Anyway, I'll see you later, inane ignoramus," Akane grinned, pulling herself out of Kyouya's arms and striding away, her steps confident and without shame. "Hope you come to the concert, Kyouya."

"Oh, I see. She's playing hard to get now!" Kenjiro explained to himself, flicking himself in the head for good measure. "Hey, Kyouya, what's inainie ignorapotumus?"

Kyouya didn't bother to reply, only patting Kenjiro's shoulder lightly before leaving him by himself.

* * *

Wow, that took a while. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you have no idea how awesome it is to hear your reponses. And don't worry just yet, I will put the frying pan in somewhere, but I could only fit a slap in here.

If you want to find out Akane's reaction, review my slaves! ...I mean children .... I mean- nevermind. Review please, cause otherwise you'll have to wait a lot longer because...

WE'RE STICKING IT TO GRANDMA NEXT CHAPTER!

Also, just to clarify, Paul is NOT related literally to Akane, just that was the bond they shared. And I really couldn't think of how else to emotionally phrase it.


	14. Necessity

**Hey everyone, so I know it's been forever since I posted and truthfully, I'm very conflicted about this story. This chapter I wrote a year or so ago when I was still working on the story, so it's in the same style. **

**My writing style has changed A LOT since this story and I feel as though this story is just my quintessential Mary-Sue story. Depending on the reaction to this chapter plus my own feelings, I may or may not continue. Also, thank you for your enthusiasm (and for being the 50th replier) Spirit-of-the-Rain.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 14**

**Necessity**

"Akane-sama? What are you doing home so early in the evening?" Shima questioned stoically, watching as the girl flew through the open doors. Six inch heels in hand, Akane ascended the stairs, only spinning around to face many surprised servants once she had reached the top of the balcony.

"Shima, could you please fetch a box of that chocolate puffs cereal?" Akane asked suddenly, causing everyone to completely turn their heads in surprise. As they all clearly knew, Chairwoman had forbidden any sugary, fatty, or greasy foods from the house. All were completely clueless as to what had suddenly possessed the quiet, solemn ghost-like girl that usually inhabited the building.

"Of course, Akane-sama," Shima answered without refrain, not even a questioning look glinting in her eyes. Years of wisdom had caked her mind with understanding, and it was all the woman could do not to smile for jubilation.

Akane bowed to everyone quickly before sprinting to her room and shutting the door quietly behind her. Without hesitation, Akane leapt around her enormous room, throwing her tortuous, stiletto heels into the air, not caring in the least if they never came down. Freedom had swept over her entire body, consuming her no longer obedient being. It was if she was Atlas, and suddenly someone had decided to lift the looming vault of the sky from her aching shoulders and telling her that her time was up.

Dancing to the closet, she grabbed out her plain, black orchestra dress and twirled it around like an invisible partner. Spinning her invisible partner, a sudden shatter broke her dream like state. Hastily throwing her dress to the floor, she gazed in awe as her blue china vase had burst into a million, delicate shards. Though what truly caught her was the fact most of the shards were vacant of the leafy, sky blue pattern that had familiarly cascaded down the vase's gentle frame.

Tenderly, she grasped one of the pieces in her lithe fingers and stared. Painted, as if by the gods themselves, was the strong wing of a bird, outstretched in flight. Arranging more of the pieces, Akane saw every shard comprised of a bird or part of a bird, until a flock of graceful doves basked before her eyes.

It was amazing, that even though the outside of the vase was beautiful, one of the most gorgeous and elegant Akane had ever laid eyes upon, the inside was baffling. The sweeping wings and sky called out to her, in a way none of the shopworn, fragile figures on the outside could.

"I've always truly loved that vase," Shima's voice answered apathetically, the elderly maid emerging from the doorway with dominating wisdom. "You probably didn't even notice last time you broke it, but that pattern has always been there. It's strange, how some things have to break down completely before they see what they truly are. The facade is never as beautiful as what's on the inside."

"It's strange, how everyone around me sounds like a fortune cookie lately," Akane smiled at the woman, her back to the birds that flew like snowflakes across the porcelain surface.

"Here's your cereal, Akane-sama," Shima replied, her face still unwavering by Akane's rare smile.

"Now there's something not so philosophical," Akane grinned, taking the tray of chocolate cereal from the woman with gracious thanks. Turning to exit, Shima paused and glared at the black dress that lay disheveled across the floor.

"What a horribly dull dress," The woman calmly proclaimed, nearly spitting on the dress with her mere gaze. "Akane-sama, if I may be so bold, there are a few dresses kept here for Ms. Grantaine for the short time she stayed here, and there is one in particular that may service you better than that table cloth."

"Really? Why didn't you say so earlier, Shima?" Akane quickly exclaimed, bursting from her mouthful of cereal and sprinting out the door, dragging a listless Shima by the arm.

"I demand to speak to that dirty child this instant," The chairwoman's aggravated, yet stiff voice calmly transcending through the phone.

"I'm sorry, there are no dirty children in this house, perhaps you have the wrong number," Shima's solemn voice retorted, unphased at the Chairwoman.

"Please put Akane on the phone this instant or you will be out of work before your next breath," The Chairwoman spat, not even flinching as the cold, demonic threat echoed to Shima's ears.

"I could've left long ago, it matters not if—"

"It's okay, Shima, I'll take it. Hello, Sensei," Akane cut in, graciously taking the telephone from Shima's hands. The elderly woman bowed and walked off, allowing the girl privacy.

"I have received information that you not only left early from Kenjiro's party, but you were also caught embracing Kyouya Ootori very inappropriately," The Chairwoman seethed, stirring a cup of tea elegantly with her free hand.

"I also slapped Kenjiro's hand," Akane added, smiling at the refreshing memory.

"Have you completely lost your mind, you dirty child? I could easily send you to prison, where you deserve to be," The elderly woman answered, no emotion flashing onto her face.

"Yes, I do deserve to be in prison, but you know what? WE both know you'll never send me, because no matter how much to try to hush it up, their will be news everywhere. And you know that absolutely no company will want to continue business with a group that places their own children in jail," Akane retorted, smiling deviously without regret on the other side of the line.

"I—"

"Sensei, if you please, may we continue this conversation after my concert. I'll be looking forward to it," She interrupted, ending the call then with a smirk deviating across her face. With satisfaction most could not even imagine, she slammed the phone onto the receiver and let the screech of the Chiarwoman's voice die away.

Sighing, her body tensed in excitement and dread. The phone had been ringing all day, mostly calls from Kenjiro asking for a date this instant. But Akane had known she'd have to speak face to face with Sensei soon. It was terrifying to even think about what she had just done, since the woman could slice Akane's head off at any moment. Yet, it was something that had had to be done.

Nervously, a strand of hair twisted beneath her fingers. She had barely noticed how long her hair had become, even without it ironed out straight. She couldn't recall ever having her hair this lengthy, since it always became a huge nuisance to play the violin with. Smiling, she flew to her room, shuffling through a drawer until she found her new best friend. The cold metal handle of the scissors grinned back at her, and Akane needed no further encouragement to bring a chunk of golden annoyance between its twin blades.

All eyes turned as a lone spotlight turned to the corner of the stage. From the mysterious shadows of the backstage emerged a lithe figure with a perfectly crafted, all wood violin in her hands. Akane Suoh was nearly unrecognizable as she sauntered onto the stage, her gorgeous dress forcing her to blend in like rose in a field of weeds.

While every other orchestra student wore the traditional black dress or tux, Akane had on a white strapless evening gown, the chest embroidered with an intricate black beadwork pattern, tapering of towards the waist. The pure white fabric flowed down in pointed sections, almost like flower petals to meet streaks of subtle gray that faded to black at the bottom.

And for the first time, many students saw Akane's naturally curly hair cascade and abruptly ended a few inches below her ears. From the choppy edges, it is easily detectable to see she had cut it herself. On her face there was little to no makeup, even so, her strong, graceful features were brought out without a spec of foundation.

Strides full of pride and unadulterated strength; she slowly flew across the stage to her seat at first chair. Mr. Kashikoi smiled warmly yet professionally towards his student, seeing the exact same student who had played every piece like it was her last performance. He felt like the woman standing before him had been in his room every day, but today was the first time she had come without the mask.

Akane nodded to her conductor, a grin matching his effortlessly gliding onto to her naked lips. As she took her place at the first chair, she couldn't help but offer Kenjiro, her petrified stand partner, a sly wink, the speechless expression on his face only fuel for her grin. Without pretense or distraction, she lifted the gorgeous instrument to her chin and began to tune, her bow strokes swift and her strings already perfectly in tune.

With one nod from Kashikoi, the orchestra began to play. Their tune was strange, a short and choppy buildup of haunting notes. The sound began to crescendo, the pressure of each bow on the strings increasing until for one brief measure, the tension let go and Akane's eyes slid shut.

Before the pressure could fade, Akane's violin broke into the spotlight, her fingers flying across the strings. Each note was perfect and clear, like reading a book without one misspelled word or smudge to obstruct your reading. With a long note, she slowly faded out, only to be invited in again, this time more pure and iridescent notes spilling from her instrument. Akane paused again, creeping into her solo once again with rapid bow strokes and not one slurred or stuttered note.

The orchestra returned to their mysterious build-up, Akane's violin joining in with short, spicatto strokes that had her bow controlled as it bounced against the strings. The volume grew, until Akane could deny the music no more and the entire orchestra followed suit. With fire-like passion, Akane's fingers danced across the strings, her bow dancing rapidly back and forth with raw energy. Each time the orchestra called to her, the violin answered in blindingly accurate speed, nothing but raw passion burning into the audience's ears with each note.

The orchestra's pace began to slow, but not before Akane entered in, every beautiful note resounding across the theatre. With strokes like lightning, the energy began to build continuously, the tone growing louder and faster and faster and faster until with one stroke the room exploded with an uncontrollable fire that consumed every audience member. The entire orchestra was bursting with power, the sound flooding through Akane's body and blazing with force she had never felt. And with one final stroke, the emotion bloomed and the radiant sound faded.

Before silence could even grip the orchestra, the theater exploded with applause and Akane's astounded eyes shot open. Every member of the audience was on their feet, all because of her three minute brilliance. Kashikoi elegantly turned around and bowed to the audience, a smile Akane would never forget plastered onto his face. He then turned to her and bowed as her body curtsied in return, Akane feeling as though she had absolutely no control over her own limbs. She turned to face her audience and as she bowed, another explosion of cheers blasted to meet her. As Akane straightened, she surprised herself; there was not one tear upon her cheek. Glancing up to the cheering crowd, she caught a familiar pair of onyx eyes. They smiled at her, coaxing her as Kyouya clapped slowly and carefully. Bowing once again, Akane caught a falling rose as onslaughts of flowers were tossed onto the stage.

Pulling her gaze upwards, she caught another pair of eyes, these cold and seething, attempting to wrench their way into her soul. Akane merely curtsied to her granmother, who remained seated and stoic, though Gilbert next to her was throwing a huge thumbs-up her way. Turning back to Kashikoi, she nodded and lifted the violin again to her chin, an untouchable glow radiating from her face.

It was near impossible to move, between all the astounded, cheering, questioning people that nearly smothered Akane. It hard to believe she could still breathe with all these people around. Some girls stroked her hair in remorse, still jealous as to how soft and naturally gorgeous it looked, even in its disheveled appearance . Struggling to find anyone who didn't have twenty-thousand questions to chuck at her, she caught Kyouya's gaze. Without hesistation, he pointed a single, lengthy finger upwards, Akane nodding in turn without even thinking. She could wonder about his hint later, but at the moment, she felt a muscular hand sucking her from the vortex.

Turning, she found herself being dragged by a smiling Gilbert, pulling her from the insanity. Gratefully, she let her feet follow suit, mentally preparing herself for the confrontation. She was unsure of what exactly her grandmother would respond to her rebellion, but more than anything, her gut was encouraging her on. She had never felt more sure that things were going to be alright than at this moment, even when the Chiarwoman's murderous gaze fell slowly upon her. They stood in a secluded, empty classroom, nothing more than a table and some dusty chairs set in the back corner. Everything else melted into darkness though as her grandmother's murderous eyes, that could've easily frozen Medusa herself to stone.

"Hello, Grandmother," Akane greeted, her tone sliding into a buisness-like stature. Her tormented eyes had settled, the storm finally abandoning the tortured sea. All that remained was defiance and will, flaring out from the young woman just as the sun releases his scorching heat.

* * *

**Do as you please.**


End file.
